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Kimijima M, Narisawa N, Hori E, Mandokoro K, Ito T, Ota Y, Sashida M, Kawai Y, Takenaga F. Nattokinase, a Subtilisin-like Alkaline-Serine Protease, Reduces Mutacin Activity by Inactivating the Competence-Stimulating Peptide in Streptococcus mutans. Pathogens 2024; 13:286. [PMID: 38668241 PMCID: PMC11054032 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens13040286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2024] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Streptococcus mutans is a major cariogenic organism because of its ability to form biofilms on tooth surfaces. Bacteriocins produced by S. mutans (known as mutacins) are indirect pathogenic factors that play a role in the persistence of this microbe in the oral environment. Nattokinase, a subtilisin-like alkaline serine protease, potently inhibits biofilm formation without affecting S. mutans growth. However, effective strategies utilizing nattokinase to control mutacin production by S. mutans are lacking. In this study, we evaluated the effect of nattokinase on mutacin activity in 46 strains of S. mutans with different mutacin genotypes isolated from the dental plaques of pediatric patients with caries. Nattokinase reduced the activity of mutacin against oral streptococci at a concentration of 1 mg/mL in all clinical isolates. Furthermore, nattokinase reduced the expression of non-lantibiotic mutacin structural genes (nlmABCD) and inactivated the extracellular competence-stimulating peptide involved in comDE activation, which regulates non-lantibiotic mutacin gene expression. These results suggest that nattokinase may reduce the virulence of S. mutans and could potentially be used as a new caries-preventive agent as an alternative to conventional drug treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manami Kimijima
- Bioresource Utilization Sciences, Nihon University Graduate School of Bioresource Sciences, Fujisawa 252-0880, Kanagawa, Japan; (M.K.)
| | - Naoki Narisawa
- Bioresource Utilization Sciences, Nihon University Graduate School of Bioresource Sciences, Fujisawa 252-0880, Kanagawa, Japan; (M.K.)
| | - Eiji Hori
- Bioresource Utilization Sciences, Nihon University Graduate School of Bioresource Sciences, Fujisawa 252-0880, Kanagawa, Japan; (M.K.)
| | - Kengo Mandokoro
- Bioresource Utilization Sciences, Nihon University Graduate School of Bioresource Sciences, Fujisawa 252-0880, Kanagawa, Japan; (M.K.)
| | - Tatsuro Ito
- Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Nihon University School of Dentistry at Matsudo, Matsudo 271-8587, Chiba, Japan
- Research Institute of Oral Science, Nihon University School of Dentistry at Matsudo, Matsudo 271-8587, Chiba, Japan
| | - Yukina Ota
- Nihon University Graduate School of Dentistry at Matsudo, Pediatric Dentistry, Matsudo 271-8587, Chiba, Japan
| | - Momoko Sashida
- Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Nihon University School of Dentistry at Matsudo, Matsudo 271-8587, Chiba, Japan
| | - Yasushi Kawai
- Bioresource Utilization Sciences, Nihon University Graduate School of Bioresource Sciences, Fujisawa 252-0880, Kanagawa, Japan; (M.K.)
| | - Fumio Takenaga
- Bioresource Utilization Sciences, Nihon University Graduate School of Bioresource Sciences, Fujisawa 252-0880, Kanagawa, Japan; (M.K.)
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Kouakou YI, Lee RJ. Interkingdom Detection of Bacterial Quorum-Sensing Molecules by Mammalian Taste Receptors. Microorganisms 2023; 11:1295. [PMID: 37317269 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11051295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Bitter and sweet taste G protein-coupled receptors (known as T2Rs and T1Rs, respectively) were originally identified in type II taste cells on the tongue, where they signal perception of bitter and sweet tastes, respectively. Over the past ~15 years, taste receptors have been identified in cells all over the body, demonstrating a more general chemosensory role beyond taste. Bitter and sweet taste receptors regulate gut epithelial function, pancreatic β cell secretion, thyroid hormone secretion, adipocyte function, and many other processes. Emerging data from a variety of tissues suggest that taste receptors are also used by mammalian cells to "eavesdrop" on bacterial communications. These receptors are activated by several quorum-sensing molecules, including acyl-homoserine lactones and quinolones from Gram-negative bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, competence stimulating peptides from Streptococcus mutans, and D-amino acids from Staphylococcus aureus. Taste receptors are an arm of immune surveillance similar to Toll-like receptors and other pattern recognition receptors. Because they are activated by quorum-sensing molecules, taste receptors report information about microbial population density based on the chemical composition of the extracellular environment. This review summarizes current knowledge of bacterial activation of taste receptors and identifies important questions remaining in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yobouet Ines Kouakou
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Robert J Lee
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Physiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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Bernabè G, Pauletto A, Zamuner A, Cassari L, Castagliuolo I, Brun P, Dettin M. Exploiting Conserved Quorum Sensing Signals in Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Microorganisms 2022; 10. [PMID: 36557639 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10122386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Revised: 11/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial species of the Streptococcus genera are considered either commensal bacteria or potential pathogens, according to their metabolic evolution and production of quorum sensing (QS)-controlled virulence factors. S. mutans, in particular, has become one of the best-studied examples of bacteria that are able to get along or cheat commensal species, even of the same genera. S. mutans and S. pneumoniae share homolog QS pathways and a competence stimulating peptide (CSP) for regulating bacteriocin production. Intriguingly, the abundance of S. pneumoniae and S. mutans alternates in complex microbial communities, thus opening the role for the fratricide communication of homolog QS systems. Since the inhibition of the QS has been proposed in treating bacterial infections, in this study, we designed and synthesized analogs of S. pneumoniae CSP with precise residual modifications. We reported that S. pneumoniae CSP analogs reduced the expression of genes involved in the QS of S. mutans and biofilm formation without affecting bacterial growth. The CSP analogs inhibited bacteriocin production in S. mutans, as reported by co-cultures with commensal bacteria of the oral cavity. The peptide CSP1AA, bearing substitutions in the residues involved in QS receptor recognition and activation, reported the most significant quorum-quenching activities. Our findings provide new insights into specific chemical drivers in the CSP sequences controlling the interconnection between S. mutans and S. pneumoniae. We think that the results reported in this study open the way for new therapeutic interventions in controlling the virulence factors in complex microbial communities such as the oral microbiota.
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Brennan AA, Harrington A, Guo M, Renshaw CP, Tillett RL, Miura P, Tal-Gan Y. Investigating the Streptococcus sinensis competence regulon through a combination of transcriptome analysis and phenotypic evaluation. Microbiology (Reading) 2022; 168. [PMID: 36282148 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Streptococcus sinensis is a recently identified member of the Mitis group of streptococci. This species has been associated with infective endocarditis; however its mechanisms of pathogenesis and virulence are not fully understood. This study aimed to investigate the influence of the competence-stimulating peptide (CSP) and the competence regulon quorum-sensing circuitry (ComABCDE) on subsequent gene transcription and expression, as well as resultant phenotypes. In this study we confirmed the native CSP identity, ascertained when endogenous CSP was produced and completed a transcriptome-wide analysis of all genes following CSP exposure. RNA sequencing analysis revealed the upregulation of genes known to be associated with competence, biofilm formation and virulence. As such, a variety of phenotypic assays were utilized to assess the correlation between increased mRNA expression and potential phenotype response, ultimately gaining insight into the effects of CSP on both gene expression and developed phenotypes. The results indicated that the addition of exogenous CSP aided in competence development and successful transformation, yielding an average transformation efficiency comparable to that of other Mitis group streptococci. Additional studies are needed to further delineate the effects of CSP exposure on biofilm formation and virulence. Overall, this study provides novel information regarding S. sinensis and provides a substantial foundation on which this species and its role in disease pathogenesis can be further investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alec A Brennan
- Department of Chemistry, University of Nevada, Reno, 1664 North Virginia Street, Reno, Nevada 89557, USA
| | - Anthony Harrington
- Department of Chemistry, University of Nevada, Reno, 1664 North Virginia Street, Reno, Nevada 89557, USA
| | - Mingzhe Guo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Nevada, Reno, 1664 North Virginia Street, Reno, Nevada 89557, USA
| | - Clay P Renshaw
- Department of Chemistry, University of Nevada, Reno, 1664 North Virginia Street, Reno, Nevada 89557, USA
| | - Richard L Tillett
- Nevada Center for Bioinformatics, University of Nevada, Reno, 1664 North Virginia Street, Reno, Nevada 89557, USA
| | - Pedro Miura
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, 1664 North Virginia Street, Reno, Nevada 89557, USA
| | - Yftah Tal-Gan
- Department of Chemistry, University of Nevada, Reno, 1664 North Virginia Street, Reno, Nevada 89557, USA
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Park T, Im J, Kim AR, Lee D, Jeong S, Yun CH, Han SH. Short-chain fatty acids inhibit the biofilm formation of Streptococcus gordonii through negative regulation of competence-stimulating peptide signaling pathway. J Microbiol 2021; 59:1142-1149. [PMID: 34865199 DOI: 10.1007/s12275-021-1576-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Revised: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Streptococcus gordonii, a Gram-positive commensal bacterium, is an opportunistic pathogen closely related to initiation and progression of various oral diseases, such as periodontitis and dental caries. Its biofilm formation is linked with the development of such diseases by enhanced resistance against antimicrobial treatment or host immunity. In the present study, we investigated the effect of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) on the biofilm formation of S. gordonii. SCFAs, including sodium acetate (NaA), sodium propionate (NaP), and sodium butyrate (NaB), showed an effective inhibitory activity on the biofilm formation of S. gordonii without reduction in bacterial growth. SCFAs suppressed S. gordonii biofilm formation at early time points whereas SCFAs did not affect its preformed biofilm. A quorum-sensing system mediated by competence-stimulating peptide (CSP) is known to regulate biofilm formation of streptococci. Interestingly, SCFAs substantially decreased mRNA expression of comD and comE, which are CSP-sensor and its response regulator responsible for CSP pathway, respectively. Although S. gordonii biofilm formation was enhanced by exogenous synthetic CSP treatment, such effect was not observed in the presence of SCFAs. Collectively, these results suggest that SCFAs have an anti-biofilm activity on S. gordonii through inhibiting comD and comE expression which results in negative regulation of CSP quorum-sensing system. SCFAs could be an effective anti-biofilm agent against S. gordonii for the prevention of oral diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taehwan Park
- Department of Oral Microbiology and Immunology, and Dental Research Institute, School of Dentistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Jintaek Im
- Department of Oral Microbiology and Immunology, and Dental Research Institute, School of Dentistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - A Reum Kim
- Department of Oral Microbiology and Immunology, and Dental Research Institute, School of Dentistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Dongwook Lee
- Department of Oral Microbiology and Immunology, and Dental Research Institute, School of Dentistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Sungho Jeong
- Department of Oral Microbiology and Immunology, and Dental Research Institute, School of Dentistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Cheol-Heui Yun
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea.,Institutes of Green Bio Science and Technology, Seoul National University, Pyeongchang, 25354, Republic of Korea
| | - Seung Hyun Han
- Department of Oral Microbiology and Immunology, and Dental Research Institute, School of Dentistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea.
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Yang Y, Lin J, Harrington A, Cornilescu G, Lau GW, Tal-Gan Y. Designing cyclic competence-stimulating peptide (CSP) analogs with pan-group quorum-sensing inhibition activity in Streptococcus pneumoniae. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:1689-1699. [PMID: 31915298 PMCID: PMC6983377 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1915812117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Streptococcus pneumoniae is an opportunistic human pathogen that utilizes the competence regulon, a quorum-sensing circuitry, to acquire antibiotic resistance genes and initiate its attack on the human host. Interception of the competence regulon can therefore be utilized to study S. pneumoniae cell-cell communication and behavioral changes, as well as attenuate S. pneumoniae infectivity. Herein we report the design and synthesis of cyclic dominant negative competence-stimulating peptide (dnCSP) analogs capable of intercepting the competence regulon in both S. pneumoniae specificity groups with activities at the low nanomolar range. Structural analysis of lead analogs provided important insights as to the molecular mechanism that drives CSP receptor binding and revealed that the pan-group cyclic CSPs exhibit a chimeric hydrophobic patch conformation that resembles the hydrophobic patches required for both ComD1 and ComD2 binding. Moreover, the lead cyclic dnCSP, CSP1-E1A-cyc(Dap6E10), was found to possess superior pharmacological properties, including improved resistance to enzymatic degradation, while remaining nontoxic. Lastly, CSP1-E1A-cyc(Dap6E10) was capable of attenuating mouse mortality during acute pneumonia caused by both group 1 and group 2 S. pneumoniae strains. This cyclic pan-group dnCSP is therefore a promising drug lead scaffold against S. pneumoniae infections that could be administered individually or utilized in combination therapy to augment the effects of current antimicrobial agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifang Yang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV 89557
| | - Jingjun Lin
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61802
| | | | - Gabriel Cornilescu
- National Magnetic Resonance Facility at Madison, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706
| | - Gee W Lau
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61802;
| | - Yftah Tal-Gan
- Department of Chemistry, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV 89557;
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Harrington A, Tal-Gan Y. Identification of Streptococcus gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus (Biotype I) Competence-Stimulating Peptide Pheromone. J Bacteriol 2018; 200:e00709-17. [PMID: 29440256 DOI: 10.1128/JB.00709-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2017] [Accepted: 02/07/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Streptococcus gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus, a member of the group D streptococci, is normally found in the bovine rumen and human gut. It is an opportunistic pathogen that was recently determined to be a bacterial driver of colorectal cancer, in addition to causing other diseases, such as infective endocarditis, bacteremia, neonatal meningitis, and septicemia. As an emerging pathogen, not much is known about this bacterium, its virulence mechanisms, or its virulence regulatory pathways. Previous studies suggest that S. gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus uses a ComRS pathway, one of many Streptococcus quorum-sensing circuitries, for competence. However, thus far, the ubiquitous ComABCDE pathway has not been studied, nor has its regulatory role in S. gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus We therefore sought to study the S. gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus ComABCDE quorum-sensing pathway and have identified its peptide pheromone, which is termed the competence-stimulating peptide (CSP). We further determined that this peptide regulates the production of bacteriocin-like inhibitory substances (BLISs), a phenotype that has been linked with the ComABCDE pathway in both Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus mutans Our data show that S. gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus TX20005 produces a 21-mer CSP signal, which differs from CSP signals of other Streptococcus species in that its active form begins three residues after the double-glycine leader signal of the ComC precursor peptide. Additionally, our data suggest that this peptide might not be related to competence induction, as opposed to CSP signaling peptides in other Streptococcus species. This study provides the first evidence that S. gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus utilizes quorum sensing to eliminate competitors, presenting a potential pathway to target this emerging human pathogen.IMPORTANCEStreptococcus gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus is an emerging human pathogen known as a causative agent of infective endocarditis, and recently, of colorectal cancer. In this work, we revealed a functional quorum-sensing circuitry in S. gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus, including the identification of the central signaling peptide pheromone, competence-stimulating peptide (CSP), and the regulatory role of this circuitry in the production of bacteriocin-like inhibitory substances (BLISs). This work uncovered a mechanism by which this bacterium outcompetes other bacterial species and thus provides a potential tool to study this opportunistic pathogen.
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