This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Ahn, S.-J.
Right arrow Articles by Burne, R. A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Ahn, S.-J.
Right arrow Articles by Burne, R. A.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Bacteriology, May 2005, p. 3028-3038, Vol. 187, No. 9
0021-9193/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.187.9.3028-3038.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Role of HtrA in Growth and Competence of Streptococcus mutans UA159

Sang-Joon Ahn, José A. C. Lemos, and Robert A. Burne*

Department of Oral Biology, University of Florida College of Dentistry, Gainesville, Florida 32610

Received 21 September 2004/ Accepted 27 January 2005

We report here that HtrA plays a role in controlling growth and competence development for genetic transformation in Streptococcus mutans. Disruption of the gene for HtrA resulted in slow growth at 37°C, reduced thermal tolerance at 42°C, and altered sucrose-dependent biofilm formation on polystyrene surfaces. The htrA mutant also displayed a significantly reduced ability to undergo genetic transformation. A direct association between HtrA and genetic competence was demonstrated by the increased expression of the htrA gene upon exposure to competence-stimulating peptide. The induction of htrA gradually reached a maximum at around 20 min, suggesting that HtrA may be involved in a late competence response. Complementation of the htrA mutation in a single copy on the chromosome of the mutant could rescue the defective growth phenotypes but not transformability, apparently because a second gene, spo0J, immediately downstream of htrA, also affects transformation. The htrA and spo0J genes were shown to be both individually transcribed and cotranscribed and probably have a functional connection in competence development. HtrA regulation appears to be finely tuned in S. mutans, since strains containing multiple copies of htrA exhibited abnormal growth phenotypes. Collectively, the results reveal HtrA to be an integral component of the regulatory network connecting cellular growth, stress tolerance, biofilm formation, and competence development and reveal a novel role for the spo0J gene in genetic transformation.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Oral Biology, University of Florida College of Dentistry, Gainesville, FL 32610. Phone: (352) 846-2520. Fax: (352) 392-7357. E-mail: rburne{at}ufl.edu.

Journal of Bacteriology, May 2005, p. 3028-3038, Vol. 187, No. 9
0021-9193/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.187.9.3028-3038.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Suntharalingam, P., Senadheera, M. D., Mair, R. W., Levesque, C. M., Cvitkovitch, D. G. (2009). The LiaFSR System Regulates the Cell Envelope Stress Response in Streptococcus mutans. J. Bacteriol. 191: 2973-2984 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Liu, Y., Zeng, L., Burne, R. A. (2009). AguR Is Required for Induction of the Streptococcus mutans Agmatine Deiminase System by Low pH and Agmatine. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 75: 2629-2637 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Zeng, L., Burne, R. A. (2009). Transcriptional Regulation of the Cellobiose Operon of Streptococcus mutans. J. Bacteriol. 191: 2153-2162 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Abranches, J., Martinez, A. R., Kajfasz, J. K., Chavez, V., Garsin, D. A., Lemos, J. A. (2009). The Molecular Alarmone (p)ppGpp Mediates Stress Responses, Vancomycin Tolerance, and Virulence in Enterococcus faecalis. J. Bacteriol. 191: 2248-2256 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Lemos, J. A., Burne, R. A. (2008). A model of efficiency: stress tolerance by Streptococcus mutans. Microbiology 154: 3247-3255 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Liu, Y., Dong, Y., Chen, Y.-Y. M., Burne, R. A. (2008). Environmental and Growth Phase Regulation of the Streptococcus gordonii Arginine Deiminase Genes. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74: 5023-5030 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Lemos, J. A., Nascimento, M. M., Lin, V. K., Abranches, J., Burne, R. A. (2008). Global Regulation by (p)ppGpp and CodY in Streptococcus mutans. J. Bacteriol. 190: 5291-5299 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Crowley, P. J., Seifert, T. B., Isoda, R., van Tilburg, M., Oli, M. W., Robinette, R. A., McArthur, W. P., Bleiweis, A. S., Brady, L. J. (2008). Requirements for Surface Expression and Function of Adhesin P1 from Streptococcus mutans. Infect. Immun. 76: 2456-2468 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Banerjee, A., Biswas, I. (2008). Markerless Multiple-Gene-Deletion System for Streptococcus mutans. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74: 2037-2042 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Nascimento, M. M., Lemos, J. A., Abranches, J., Lin, V. K., Burne, R. A. (2008). Role of RelA of Streptococcus mutans in Global Control of Gene Expression. J. Bacteriol. 190: 28-36 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Ahn, S.-J., Wen, Z. T., Burne, R. A. (2007). Effects of Oxygen on Virulence Traits of Streptococcus mutans. J. Bacteriol. 189: 8519-8527 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Ahn, S.-J., Burne, R. A. (2007). Effects of Oxygen on Biofilm Formation and the AtlA Autolysin of Streptococcus mutans. J. Bacteriol. 189: 6293-6302 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Merritt, J., Zheng, L., Shi, W., Qi, F. (2007). Genetic characterization of the hdrRM operon: a novel high-cell-density-responsive regulator in Streptococcus mutans. Microbiology 153: 2765-2773 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Lemos, J. A., Luzardo, Y., Burne, R. A. (2007). Physiologic Effects of Forced Down-Regulation of dnaK and groEL Expression in Streptococcus mutans. J. Bacteriol. 189: 1582-1588 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Ahn, S.-J., Burne, R. A. (2006). The atlA Operon of Streptococcus mutans: Role in Autolysin Maturation and Cell Surface Biogenesis.. J. Bacteriol. 188: 6877-6888 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Abranches, J., Candella, M. M., Wen, Z. T., Baker, H. V., Burne, R. A. (2006). Different Roles of EIIABMan and EIIGlc in Regulation of Energy Metabolism, Biofilm Development, and Competence in Streptococcus mutans. J. Bacteriol. 188: 3748-3756 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Wen, Z. T., Baker, H. V., Burne, R. A. (2006). Influence of BrpA on Critical Virulence Attributes of Streptococcus mutans.. J. Bacteriol. 188: 2983-2992 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Ahn, S.-J., Wen, Z. T., Burne, R. A. (2006). Multilevel Control of Competence Development and Stress Tolerance in Streptococcus mutans UA159. Infect. Immun. 74: 1631-1642 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Wilson, R. L., Brown, L. L., Kirkwood-Watts, D., Warren, T. K., Lund, S. A., King, D. S., Jones, K. F., Hruby, D. E. (2006). Listeria monocytogenes 10403S HtrA Is Necessary for Resistance to Cellular Stress and Virulence. Infect. Immun. 74: 765-768 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Biswas, S., Biswas, I. (2005). Role of HtrA in Surface Protein Expression and Biofilm Formation by Streptococcus mutans. Infect. Immun. 73: 6923-6934 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»