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The delta subunit of the RNA polymerase, RpoE, maintains the transcriptional specificity in Gram-positive bacteria. Lack of RpoE results in massive changes in the transcriptome of the human dental caries pathogen  Streptococcus mutans . In this study, we analyzed traits of the Δ rpoE  mutant which are important for biofilm formation and interaction with oral microorganisms and human cells and performed a global phenotypic analysis of its physiological functions. The Δ rpoE  mutant showed higher self-aggregation compared to the wild type and coaggregated with other oral bacteria and  Candida albicans . It formed a biofilm with a different matrix structure and an altered surface attachment. The amount of the cell surface antigens I/II SpaP and the glucosyltransferase GtfB was reduced. The Δ rpoE  mutant displayed significantly stronger adhesion to human extracellular matrix components, especially to fibronectin, than the wild type. Its adhesion to human epithelial cells HEp-2 was reduced, probably due to the highly aggregated cell mass. The analysis of 1248 physiological traits using phenotype microarrays showed that the Δ rpoE  mutant metabolized a wider spectrum of carbon sources than the wild type and had acquired resistance to antibiotics and inhibitory compounds with various modes of action. The reduced antigenicity, increased aggregation, adherence to fibronection, broader substrate spectrum and increased resistance to antibiotics of the Δ rpoE  mutant reveal the physiological potential of  S. mutans  and show that some of its virulence related traits are increased.

Lack of the Delta Subunit of RNA Polymerase Increases Virulence Related Traits of Streptococcus mutans