Modification of an effector strain for replacement therapy of dental caries to enable clinical safety trials

AIMS

To construct a genetically modified strain of Streptococcus mutans for dental caries prevention. The strain has significantly reduced cariogenicity owing to a deletion of the entire open reading frame for lactate dehydrogenase, and has excellent colonization potential through the production of a natural antibiotic called mutacin 1140. For use in human clinical trials, additional mutations were introduced to enable rapid elimination of the strain in case of adverse side effects and to increase genetic stability.

METHODS

Deletion mutations were introduced into the dal gene for d-alanine biosynthesis and the comE gene for genetic transformation. The resulting strain, A2JM, was tested for dependence on exogenous d-alanine and its ability to be eradicated from colonized rats. The strain was also tested for its ability to exchange DNA with another strain of S. mutans in in vitro and in vivo models.

CONCLUSIONS

A2JM was completely dependent on exogenous d-alanine, but could colonize the oral cavity of rats in low numbers in the absence of dietary d-alanine. Results indicated that A2JM can scavenge d-alanine from other plaque bacteria. Lowering of the total oral bacterial load through daily application of chlorhexidine enabled virtually complete eradication of A2JM. The introduction of the comE gene did not significantly decrease the transformability of A2JM in in vitro or in vivo models. The addition of a deletion in the comE gene does, nonetheless, provide additional safety as it has a very low reversion frequency.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

Based on the safety and efficacy profiles established in vitro and in animal models, A2JM appears suitable for safe use in human clinical trials.

Resistance of a novel root canal sealer to bacterial ingress in vitro

A dentin-bonding root canal sealer (ZUT) has been developed, consisting of an experimental glass ionomer cement (KT-308) and an antimicrobial silver-containing zeolite (0.2% by weight). This in vitro study evaluated the ability of ZUT used with or without gutta-percha, to resist bacterial ingress of Enterococcus faecalis over a period of 90 days. Canals of 80 single-rooted teeth were prepared with apical patency and filled as follows (n = 10): KT-308 alone; KT-308 with a single gutta-percha cone (SCGP); ZUT alone; ZUT with SCGP; AH26 alone; AH26 with SCGP; positive control-no root canal filling; and negative control-no root canal filling, with the apices of this group sealed with C&B Metabond cement. Teeth were coated with nail polish except for the apical 2 mm, and each tooth was sealed in a 4-ml glass vial, with an 18-gauge needle inserted through the vial cover and bonded into the pulp chamber with C&B Metabond cement. After sterilization with 2.5 Mrad gamma-radiation, Brain Heart Infusion broth with phenol red was injected into each vial. An inoculum of E. faecalis was pipetted through the needle into the pulp chamber every 5 days, and the broth was monitored daily for color change and turbidity. When change occurred, the broth was cultured for growth of E. faecalis. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and the log-rank test revealed no significant differences among the three sealers used. The presence of gutta-percha, however, significantly improved resistance to bacterial ingress through obturated root canals (X, p < 0.05). Under the conditions of this study, the hypothesized advantage of ZUT (0.2% zeolite) was not demonstrated.

Genetic and biochemical analysis of mutacin 1140, a lantibiotic from Streptococcus mutans

Streptococcus mutans JH1000 and its derivatives were previously shown (J. D. Hillman, K. P. Johnson, and B. I. Yaphe, Infect. Immun. 44:141-144, 1984) to produce a low-molecular-weight, broad-spectrum bacteriocin-like inhibitory substance (BLIS). The thermosensitive vector pTV1-OK harboring Tn917 was used to isolate a BLIS-deficient mutant, DM25, and the mutated gene was recovered by shotgun cloning in Escherichia coli. Sequence analysis of insert DNA adjacent to Tn917 led to the identification of four open reading frames including two (lanA and lanB) which have substantial homology to the Staphylococcus epidermidis structural gene (epiA) and a modifying enzyme gene (epiB) for biosynthesis of the lantibiotic epidermin, respectively. Although the BLIS activity could not be recovered from broth cultures, high yields were obtained from a solid medium consisting of Todd-Hewitt broth containing 0.5% agarose that was stab inoculated with JH1140 (a spontaneous mutant of JH1000 that produces threefold-elevated amounts of activity). Agar could not substitute for agarose. Chloroform extraction of the spent medium produced a fraction which yielded two major bands on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The faster-migrating band was absent in chloroform extracts of the mutant, DM25. The amino acid sequence of this band was determined by Edman sequencing and mass spectroscopy. The results showed that it is a lantibiotic, which we have named mutacin 1140, and that the sequence corresponded to that deduced from the lanA sequence. We observed a number of similarities of mutacin 1140 to epidermin and an S. mutans lantibiotic, B-Ny266, but it appears to have significant differences in the positions of its thioether bridges. It also has other unique features with regard to its leader sequence and posttranslational modification. A proposed structure for mutacin 1140 is presented.