English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Streptococcus mutans , a significant contributor to dental caries, is occasionally isolated from the blood of patients with infective endocarditis. We previously showed that  S. mutans  strains expressing collagen-binding protein (Cnm) are present in the oral cavity of approximately 10–20% of humans and that they can effectively invade human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Here, we investigated the potential molecular mechanisms of HUVEC invasion by Cnm-positive  S. mutans . The ability of Cnm-positive  S. mutans  to invade HUVECs was significantly increased by the presence of serum, purified type IV collagen, and fibrinogen ( p  < 0.001). Microarray analyses of HUVECs infected by Cnm-positive or -negative  S. mutans  strains identified several transcripts that were differentially upregulated during invasion, including those encoding the small G protein regulatory proteins  ARHGEF38  and  ARHGAP9 . Upregulation of these proteins occurred during invasion only in the presence of serum. Knockdown of  ARHGEF38  strongly reduced HUVEC invasion by Cnm-positive  S. mutans . In a rat model of infective endocarditis, cardiac endothelial cell damage was more prominent following infection with a Cnm-positive strain compared with a Cnm-negative strain. These results suggest that the type IV collagen–Cnm– ARHGEF38  pathway may play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of infective endocarditis.

Potential involvement of Streptococcus mutans possessing collagen binding protein Cnm in infective endocarditis