Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Variation in internal polysaccharide synthesis among Streptococcus mutans strains.

M L Freedman, A L Coykendall

    Infection and Immunity
    |September 1, 1975
    PubMed
    Summary

    Certain Streptococcus mutans strains, particularly group III, synthesize and degrade less intracellular polysaccharide (IPS) than others. This finding suggests IPS may not be essential for virulence in cariogenic bacteria.

    Related Concept Videos

    You might also read

    Related Articles

    Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

    Sort by
    Same author

    Lessons from postgenome-wide association studies: functional analysis of cancer predisposition loci.

    Journal of internal medicine·2013
    Same author

    Dissociable components of short-term memory and their relation to long-term learning.

    Cognitive neuropsychology·2010
    Same author

    A candidate gene approach to searching for low-penetrance breast and prostate cancer genes.

    Nature reviews. Cancer·2005
    Same author

    Short-term retention of lexical-semantic representations: implications for speech production.

    Memory (Hove, England)·2001
    Same author

    Quantitative neuronal c-fos and c-jun expression in Alzheimer's disease.

    Neurobiology of aging·1999
    Same author

    Increased peroxidation and reduced antioxidant enzyme activity in Alzheimer's disease.

    Experimental neurology·1998

    Area of Science:

    • Microbiology
    • Bacteriology
    • Oral Health

    Background:

    • Streptococcus mutans is a primary cause of dental caries.
    • Intracellular polysaccharide (IPS) accumulation is a known metabolic characteristic of S. mutans.
    • Different genetic and antigenic groups of S. mutans exist, potentially with varying metabolic activities.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To compare the synthesis and degradation of intracellular polysaccharide (IPS) between different groups of Streptococcus mutans.
    • To investigate the relationship between IPS metabolism and bacterial virulence, specifically in cariogenic strains.

    Main Methods:

    • Quantified IPS synthesis using iodine and glucose oxidase assays on cell hydrolysates.
    • Measured IPS degradation by monitoring acid production in a pH-stat at pH 7.
    • Compared IPS metabolism in five strains of S. mutans group III (antigenic group d) against 17 strains from other groups.

    Main Results:

    • S. mutans group III strains synthesized and degraded less IPS compared to other S. mutans groups.
    • Strains that did synthesize IPS degraded it rapidly, with acid production typically complete within 1 hour.
    • IPS synthesis increased significantly at glucose concentrations between 0.2% and 0.5%.

    Conclusions:

    • Intracellular polysaccharide (IPS) metabolism varies significantly among different S. mutans groups.
    • The rapid degradation of IPS by some strains indicates efficient utilization.
    • The presence of a cariogenic strain within group III that produces less IPS challenges the notion that IPS is a prerequisite for virulence in these bacteria.

    Related Experiment Videos