Open AccessStreptococcus mutans fructosyltransferase interactions with glucans
Author(s) -
Rozen Ramona,
Steinberg Doron,
Bachrach Gilad
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1016/s0378-1097(04)00065-5
Subject(s) - streptococcus mutans , fructan , glucosyltransferase , sucrose , glucan , microbiology and biotechnology , bacteria , biofilm , streptococcus sobrinus , fructose , polysaccharide , biochemistry , recombinant dna , levansucrase , chemistry , biology , enzyme , genetics , bacillus subtilis , gene
Abstract Streptococcus mutans utilizes sucrose to synthesize glucans by glucosyltransferase and fructans by fructosyltransferase (FTF). Antibodies raised against a recombinant FTF were used to study S. mutans FTF secretion. Low amounts of cell‐free FTF were found in culture of S. mutans grown with sucrose, while an increase in bacteria displaying cell surface FTF was detected. FTF added to S. mutans cultures was adsorbed to bacteria grown with sucrose but not to bacteria grown with glucose or fructose or to a gtf inactivated mutant grown with sucrose. Recombinant FTF was found to have high affinity for glucans suggesting that fructans and glucans are an integral part of the polysaccharide matrix of oral biofilms.