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
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Jarosz, L. M.
Right arrow Articles by Krom, B. P.
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Jarosz, L. M.
Right arrow Articles by Krom, B. P.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Eukaryotic Cell, November 2009, p. 1658-1664, Vol. 8, No. 11
1535-9778/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/EC.00070-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Streptococcus mutans Competence-Stimulating Peptide Inhibits Candida albicans Hypha Formation {triangledown}

Lucja M. Jarosz,1 Dong Mei Deng,2 Henny C. van der Mei,1 Wim Crielaard,2 and Bastiaan P. Krom1*

Department of Biomedical Engineering, the Kolff Institute, University Medical Center Groningen and University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands,1 Department of Cariology Endodontology Pedodontology, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), University of Amsterdam and Free University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands2

Received 3 March 2009/ Accepted 24 August 2009

The oral cavity is colonized by microorganisms growing in biofilms in which interspecies interactions take place. Streptococcus mutans grows in biofilms on enamel surfaces and is considered one of the main etiological agents of human dental caries. Candida albicans is also commonly found in the human oral cavity, where it interacts with S. mutans. C. albicans is a polymorphic fungus, and the yeast-to-hypha transition is involved in virulence and biofilm formation. The aim of this study was to investigate interkingdom communication between C. albicans and S. mutans based on the production of secreted molecules. S. mutans UA159 inhibited C. albicans germ tube (GT) formation in cocultures even when physically separated from C. albicans. Only S. mutans spent medium collected in the early exponential phase (4-h-old cultures) inhibited the GT formation of C. albicans. During this phase, S. mutans UA159 produces a quorum-sensing molecule, competence-stimulating peptide (CSP). The role of CSP in inhibiting GT formation was confirmed by using synthetic CSP and a comC deletion strain of S. mutans UA159, which lacks the ability to produce CSP. Other S. mutans strains and other Streptococcus spp. also inhibited GT formation but to different extents, possibly reflecting differences in CSP amino acid sequences among Streptococcus spp. or differences in CSP accumulation in the media. In conclusion, CSP, an S. mutans quorum-sensing molecule secreted during the early stages of growth, inhibits the C. albicans morphological switch.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Biomedical Engineering (FB040), University Medical Center Groningen and University of Groningen (Sector F), A. Deusinglaan 1, 9713 AV Groningen, The Netherlands. Phone: 31-50-3633160. Fax: 31-50-3633159. E-mail: b.p.krom{at}med.umcg.nl

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 28 August 2009.

Eukaryotic Cell, November 2009, p. 1658-1664, Vol. 8, No. 11
1535-9778/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/EC.00070-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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