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Related Experiment Videos

Chromosomal insertions and deletions in Streptococcus mutans.

W G Robinson1, L A Old, D S H Shah

  • 1Oral Biology, School of Dental Sciences, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.

Caries Research
|March 26, 2003
PubMed
Summary

Many Streptococcus mutans strains cannot ferment melibiose due to a specific chromosomal deletion. This deletion involves an insertion element, ISSmu3, and suggests a common ancestor for these sugar metabolism-impaired bacteria.

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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Bacterial Genetics
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Many Streptococcus mutans isolates exhibit an inability to ferment melibiose and other sugars.
  • Previous research indicated that this metabolic deficiency is often caused by a chromosomal deletion.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the precise nature and extent of the chromosomal deletion in melibiose-negative Streptococcus mutans strains.
  • To identify the genetic elements responsible for the loss of melibiose fermentation capability.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized sequence information from the Streptococcus mutans genome project.
  • Designed Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) primers to analyze the chromosomal deletion.
  • Examined melibiose-negative and beta-glucoside-negative strains.

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Main Results:

  • An incomplete insertion element, ISSmu3, was found in place of an 18-kb chromosomal region encoding the msm and GAL operons in all melibiose-negative strains.
  • Strains unable to utilize beta-glucosides possessed a distinct 4 kb deletion in the BGL regulon, likely resulting from homologous recombination.
  • The findings support the hypothesis that all examined melibiose-negative strains originate from a single common ancestor.

Conclusions:

  • The inability of Streptococcus mutans to ferment melibiose is primarily attributed to a specific deletion involving the ISSmu3 insertion element.
  • A separate deletion in the BGL regulon explains the inability to utilize beta-glucosides in some strains.
  • The genetic evidence strongly suggests a shared ancestry for Streptococcus mutans strains with impaired sugar metabolism.