Identification and preliminary characterization of a Streptococcus sanguis fibrillar glycoprotein.

Cell surface fibrils could be released from Streptococcus sanguis 12 but not from strains 12na or N by freeze-thawing followed by brief homogenization. Fibrils were isolated from the homogenate by ultracentrifugation or ammonium sulfate precipitation. Electron microscopy demonstrated the presence of dense masses of aggregated fibrils in these preparations. Under nondenaturing conditions, no proteins were seen in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-PAGE analysis revealed a single band stained with Coomassie blue and periodic acid Schiff stain with a molecular weight in excess of 300,000. The protein has been given the name long-fibril protein (LFP). The molecule was susceptible to digestion with subtilisin, pronase, papain, and trypsin, but was unaffected by chymotrypsin or muramidases. Attempts to dissociate the protein into smaller subunits with urea, guanidine, sodium thiocyanate, and HCl were unsuccessful. Gel filtration on a column of Sephacryl S-400 in the presence of 2% SDS resulted in elution of the protein at the void volume. Antibody raised against the LFP excised from an SDS-PAGE gel reacted with long fibrils on the surface of strain 12 and with isolated fibrils by an immunogold labeling technique. Monoclonal antibody reactive with LFP in SDS-PAGE also reacted with fibrils present on the cell. Antisera raised against the fibrils inhibited adherence to saliva-coated hydroxyapatite.     

Isolation and analysis of sacculi from Streptococcus sanguis.

Sacculi were prepared from Streptococcus sanguis 34 by exhaustive extraction of bacteria with hot 1% sodium dodecyl sulfate-0.5% 2-mercaptoethanol. Lyophilized residue was dissociated by brief sonication to single bodies closely resembling streptococci in phase-contrast microscopic density, staining properties, and morphology. Electron micrographs revealed bodies that contained variable amounts of cellular contents and were bounded by intact cell walls. Chemical analyses of sacculi demonstrated the presence of peptidoglycan, carbohydrate, protein, and phosphate. The hexose content of sacculi varied 10-fold depending upon the composition of the growth medium. When sacculi were subjected to treatment with 5 M LiCl, 8 M urea, 40% phenol (25 degrees C), or dimethyl sulfoxide most of the nitrogen and carbohydrate present was recovered in the insoluble fraction. These data suggest that sacculi contain the cell wall fraction of the extracted bacteria and that most of the carbohydrates and proteins of sacculi are firmly bound to the insoluble fraction, which contains the peptidoglycan matrix.     

Transformation of Streptococcus sanguis Challis with Streptococcus lactis plasmid DNA.

Streptococcus lactis plasmid DNA, which is required for the fermentation of lactose (plasmid pLM2001), and a potential streptococcal cloning vector plasmid (pDB101) which confers resistance to erythromycin were evaluated by transformation into Streptococcus sanguis Challis. Plasmid pLM2001 transformed lactose-negative (Lac-) mutants of S. sanguis with high efficiency and was capable of conferring lactose-metabolizing ability to a mutant deficient in Enzyme IIlac, Factor IIIlac, and phospho-beta-galactosidase of the lactose phosphoenolpyruvate-phosphotransferase system. Plasmid pDB101 was capable of high-efficiency transformation of S. sanguis to antibiotic resistance, and the plasmid could be readily isolated from transformed strains. However, when 20 pLM2001 Lac+ transformants were analyzed by a variety of techniques for the presence of plasmids, none could be detected. In addition, attempts to cure the Lac+ transformants by treatment with acriflavin were unsuccessful. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to demonstrate that the transformants had acquired a phospho-beta-galactosidase characteristic of that normally produced by S. lactis and not S. sanguis. It is proposed that the genes required for lactose fermentation may have become stabilized in the transformants due to their integration into the host chromosome. The efficient transformation into and expression of pLM2001 and pDB101 genes in S. sanguis provides a model system which could allow the development of a system for cloning genes from dairy starter cultures into S. sanguis to examine factors affecting their expression and regulation.     

Transformation of Streptococcus sanguis Challis with a plasmid of Streptococcus pneumoniae

Abstract The present work is concerned with plasmid transformation of Streptococcus sanguis strain Challis with derivatives of pDP1/pSMB1, the only plasmid found to occur naturally in Streptococcus pneumoniae . Two recombinant plasmids derived from the cryptic pSMB1 were used: pDP27 (4.5 kb) conferring resistance to chloramphenicol (Cm), and pDP28 (7.8 kb), a shuttle plasmid, conferring resistance to Cm in Escherichia coli , and resistance to erythromycin (Em) in pneumococcus. It could be shown that pSMB1 can replicate in S. sanguis ; in fact, Challis strain V288 was transformed to Cm-resistance and to Em-resistance by pDP27 and pDP28 respectively.
Shuttle plasmid pDP28 can transform S. sanguis both when isolated from pneumococcus and from E. coli , albeit with a different efficiency. The low frequency of transformation observed when pDP28 was isolated from E. coli DH1 ( recA ) was shown to be due to lack of multimeric forms of the plasmid in the DNA preparations obtained from this strain. When pDP28 was isolated from E. coli C600 (RecA⁺), multimeric forms were present, and transformations of S. sanguis was more efficiency Using pDP28 as vector in cloning experiments, where S. sanguis was the host of the recombinant DNA molecules, treatment of the vector with alkaline phosphatase inhibited the recovery of recombinant clones.     

Physico-chemical and structural properties of the surfaces of Peptostreptococcus micros and Streptococcus mitis as compared to those of mutans streptococci, Streptococcus sanguis and Streptococcus salivarius.

The surface properties of nine Streptococcus mitis and four Peptostreptococcus micros strains from the oral cavity were examined and compared with a large group of oral streptococci. Zeta potential and contact angle measurements were employed to determine physico-chemical cell surface properties. In addition, elemental surface concentration ratios were obtained via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and surface structures were examined with transmission electron microscopy. The S. mitis and P. micros strains were found to have higher isoelectric points, higher hydrophobicities and higher N/C surface concentration ratios than some other oral streptococci. The combined data suggest that both species possess large amounts of surface protein. All the S. mitis strains displayed abundant surface fibrils in negative staining, but the P. micros strains were devoid of surface appendages indicating that surface protein is present in different forms in the two species. The surfaces of S. mitis and P. micros type strains differed significantly from the other strains examined.     

Calcification of Selected Strains of Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sanguis

Nine strains of cariogenic Streptococcus mutans and two strains of Streptococcus sanguis were tested for their ability to form hydroxyapatite. The cells were examined by X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy for apatite crystals after growth in a synthetic calcification medium. Each of the test isolates, except for one strain of S. sanguis, produced intracellular mineral. Two strains of S. mutans formed both intra- and extracellular crystals. There was no apparent relationship between calcifiability and serotype.     

Biosynthesis of glycosylated glycerolphosphate polymers in Streptococcus sanguis.

Two types of glycosylated glycerolphosphates were synthesized when a particulate enzyme prepared from Streptococcus sanguis was incubated with [3H]-phosphatidylglycerol and uridine diphosphate-[14C]glucose in the presence of MgCl2. The first type was extractable with saline and contained no fatty acid. The second type was pellet bound and could be extracted with 0.1% sodium dodecyl sulfate. Both types of polymers were purified and partially characterized. The first type of polymer was fractionated into five polymers, peaks 2a, 2b, 2c, 3a, and 3b. All except peak 2a, which contained only [3H]glycerol, contained both [3H]glycerol and [14C]glucose. [3H]NaBH4 reduction of acid hydrolysates of the polymers revealed that all of the polymers contained glucose as the major sugar componenta nd xylose as the minor sugar component. The second type of polymer was fractionated into three polymers, P-1, P-2, and P-3. All contained [3H]-glycerol, [14C]glucose, and fatty acids. P-1 appeared to be pure, whereas P-2 and P-3 contained two polymers each, as judged from sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.     

变异链球菌和血链球菌全代谢途径比对分析

为了比较变异链球菌和血链球菌全代谢途径,依据KEGG数据库(http://www.genome.ad.jp/kegg)对变异链球菌和血链球菌的全部代谢途径作逐项比对。结果显示,二者参与了85个代谢途径,包括多数以相同的酶参与的中央代谢途径,即糖酵解、三羧酸循环、磷酸戊糖途径等,和多数以不同的酶参与的双组分感应系统等。通过变异链球菌和血链球菌整体代谢网络对比,了解了变异链球菌和血链球菌理论上的全部代谢途径,为全面揭示二者代谢交流研究奠定了基础。     

Transformation of Streptococcus sanguis Challis by plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid from Streptococcus faecalis.

Plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) from Streptococcus faecalis, strain DS5, was transferred to the Challis strain of Streptococcus sanguis by transformation. Two antibiotic resistance markers carried by the beta plasmid from strain DS5, erythromycin and lincomycin, were transferred to S. sanguis at a maximum frequency of 1.8 x 10-5/colony-forming unit. Approximately 70% of the covalently closed circular DNA isolated from transformant cultures by dye buoyant density gradients was shown to be hybridizable to beta plasmid DNA. Two major differences were observed between the beta plasmid from S. faecalis and the plasmid isolated from transformed S. sanguis: (i) the beta plasmid from strain DS5 sedimented in velocity gradients at 43S, whereas the covalently closed circular DNA from transformed Challis sedimented at 41S, suggesting a 1.5-Mdal deletion from the beta plasmid occurred; (ii) although the 43S beta plasmid remained in the supercoiled configuration for several weeks after isolation, the 41S plasmid was rapidly converted to a linear double-stranded molecule. Attempts to transform S. sanguis with the alpha plasmid from S. faecalis, strain DS5, were unsuccessful.     

ATP-driven calcium transport in membrane vesicles of Streptococcus sanguis.

Calcium transport was investigated in membrane vesicles prepared from the oral bacterium Streptococcus sanguis. Procedures were devised for the preparation of membrane vesicles capable of accumulating 45Ca2+. Uptake was ATP dependent and did not require a proton motive force. Calcium transport in these vesicles was compared with 45Ca2+ accumulation in membrane vesicles from Streptococcus faecalis and Escherichia coli. The data support the existence of an ATP-driven calcium pump in S. sanguis similar to that in S. faecalis. This pump, which catalyzes uptake into membrane vesicles, would be responsible for extrusion of calcium from intact cells.     

Isolation of a coaggregation-inhibiting cell wall polysaccharide from Streptococcus sanguis H1.

Coaggregation between Streptococcus sanguis H1 and Capnocytophaga ochracea ATCC 33596 cells is mediated by a carbohydrate receptor on the former and an adhesin on the latter. Two methods were used to release the carbohydrate receptor from the gram-positive streptococcus, autoclaving and mutanolysin treatment. The polysaccharide released from the streptococcal cell wall by either treatment was purified by ion-exchange chromatography; this polysaccharide inhibited coaggregation when preincubated with the gram-negative capnocytophaga partner. After hydrolysis of the polysaccharide by hydrofluoric acid (HF), the major oligosaccharide of the polysaccharide was purified by high-performance liquid chromatography. By analysis of the HF hydrolysis of the polysaccharide and the purified oligosaccharide, this major oligosaccharide appeared to be the repeating unit of the polysaccharide, with minor components resulting from internal hydrolysis of the major oligosaccharide. Gas chromatography results showed that the oligomer was a hexasaccharide, consisting of rhamnose, galactose, and glucose, in the ratio of 2:3:1, respectively. By weight, the purified hexasaccharide was a fourfold-more-potent inhibitor of coaggregation than the native polysaccharide. Resistance to hydrolysis by sulfuric acid alone and susceptibility to hydrolysis by HF suggested that oligosaccharide chains of the polysaccharide are linked by phosphodiester bonds. Studies with a coaggregation-defective mutant of S. sanguis H1 revealed that the cell walls of the mutant contained neither the polysaccharide nor the hexasaccharide repeating unit. The purification of both a polysaccharide and its constituent hexasaccharide repeating unit, which both inhibited coaggregation, and the absence of this polysaccharide or hexasaccharide on a coaggregation-defective mutant strongly suggest that the hexasaccharide derived from the polysaccharide functions as the receptor for the adhesin from C. ochracea ATCC 33596.     

Fate of heterospecific transforming DNA bound to Streptococcus sanguis.

The fate of 3H-labeled str-r fus-s DNA from Streptococcus pneumoniae, bound after a 1-min uptake to 14C-labeled str-s fus-r S. sanguis recipients, was followed by techniques previously developed for analyzing the fate of homospecific DNA. Heterospecific S. pneumoniae DNA was bound and formed complexes with recipient protein in a manner similar to that of homospecific DNA but transformed relatively poorly. The rate at which complexed heterospecific DNA becomes physically associated with recipient DNA, and at which donor markers are integrated into the chromosome, was slower than in the case of homospecific DNA. In addition, about half of the heterospecific donor counts initially bound in trichloracetic acid-insoluble form were gradually solubilized and released from the cell. The association of heterospecific DNA with the recipient chromosome was more unstable than that involving homospecific DNA, since only associations of the former type were largely dissociated by isolation and resedimentation. The donor DNA-containing material so dissociated had the same sedimentation properties as complexed heterospecific DNA before association, indicating that the complex of single-stranded donor DNA and recipient protein formed on uptake moves as a whole from its site of formation to synapse with the chromosome.     

Application of a competition model to the growth of Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sanguis in binary continuous culture.

Streptococcus mutans 6715-15 and Streptococcus sanguis 10558 were grown together in continuous culture with glucose as the limiting carbon source. The relationship of growth rate to substrate concentration was determined for pure cultures of each organism in continuous and batch cultures. A model based on competition for a growth-limiting substrate (glucose) was used to predict the proportions of each organism when grown in binary cultures. The results indicate that interactions other than competition for glucose carbon exist between S. mutans and S. sanguis grown under these conditions.     

Photolabeling of dextransucrase from Streptococcus sanguis with p-azidophenyl alpha-D-glucopyranoside.

Dextransucrase from Streptococcus sanguis ATCC 10558 was photolabeled using p-azidophenyl alpha-D-glucopyranoside with an apparent rate constant of inactivation of 1.40 min-1. The dissociation constant for this compound, which acts as an acceptor molecule in the enzymatic reaction, is 90 microM. Apparently two acceptor binding sites exist on dextransucrase as shown by (i.) photolabeling the enzyme with p-azidophenyl-alpha-D-[5,6-3H]glucopyranoside and (ii.) fluorescence titration experiments.     

Fate of homospecific transforming DNA bound to Streptococcus sanguis.

The fate of [3H]DNA from Streptococcus sanguis str-r43 fus-s donors in [14C]S. sanguis str-s fus-r1 recipients was studied by examining the lysates prepared from such recipients at various times after 1 min of exposure to DNA. The lysates were analyzed in CsCl and 10 to 30% sucrose gradients; fractions from the gradients were tested for biological activity and sensitivity to nucleases, subjected to various treatments and retested for nuclease sensitivity, and run on 5 to 20% neutral and alkaline sucrose gradients. The results demonstrate that donor DNA bound to S. sanguis cells in a form resistant to exogenous deoxyribonuclease is initially single stranded and complexed to recipient material. Donor DNA can be removed from the complex upon treatment of the complex with Pronase, phenol, or isoamyl alcohol-chloroform. Within the complex, donor DNA is relatively insensitive to S1 endonuclease but can regain its sensitivity by treatment with phenol. With time the complex moves as a whole to associate physically with the recipient chromosome. After a noncovalent stage of synapsis, donor material is covalently bonded to and acquires the nuclease sensitivity of recipient DNA, while donor markers regain transforming activity and become linked to resident markers.     

DNA base sequence homologies among strains of Streptococcus sanguis.

DNA was isolated from 19 strains and substrains of Streptococcus sanguis and analysed for guanine plus cytosine (GC) contents and base sequence homologies. Three groups could be discerned: group 1 strains had 40-8 to 42-8 mol % GC; group 2, 42-7 to 44-0 mol % GC; group 3, 43-8 to 46-4 mol % GC. DNA homologies between groups 1 and 3 were 40 to 60% at 67 degrees C and 40% at 72 degrees C. The homologies of group 2 towards groups 1 and 3 were much lower. Strains in groups 1 and 3 hydrolysed arginine and aesculin and fermented inulin; group 2 strains did not. Groups 1 and 3 could be considered subspecies of S. sanguis. Group 2 should not be considered S. sanguis.     

Interaction of hydroxyapatite and protein-coated hydroxyapatite with Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sanguis

The present study showed that S. mutans and S. sanguis behaved like negatively-charged particles in their interaction with hydroxyapatite in vitro. Phosphate in the system inhibited bacterial uptake by apatite, whereas calcium increased the uptake. A layer of acidic protein inhibited the uptake of bacteria by hydroxyapatite. The opposite was true when a basic protein was first adsorbed to the apatite. A saliva film on the apatite decreased the uptake of bacteria, supporting the view that acidic proteins are selectively adsorbed by hydroxyapatite from saliva. The results indicate clearly that electrostatic forces may be involved in bacterial interaction with tooth surface.