Amino Sugars Reshape Interactions between Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus gordonii

Abstract

ABSTRACTAmino sugars, particularly glucosamine (GlcN) and N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), are abundant carbon and nitrogen sources that are continually supplied in host secretions and in the diet to the biofilms colonizing the human oral cavity. Evidence is emerging that these amino sugars provide ecological advantages to beneficial commensals over oral pathogens and pathobionts. Here, we performed transcriptome analysis on Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus gordonii growing in single-species or dual-species cultures with glucose, GlcN or GlcNAc as the primary carbohydrate source. Compared to glucose, GlcN caused drastic transcriptomic shifts in each bacterium when they were cultured alone. Likewise, co-cultivation in the presence of GlcN yielded transcriptomic profiles that were dramatically different than the single-species results from GlcN-grown cells. In contrast, GlcNAc elicited only minor changes in the transcriptome of either organism in single- and dual-species cultures. Interestingly, genes involved in pyruvate metabolism were among the most significantly affected by GlcN in both species, and these changes were consistent with measurements of pyruvate in culture supernates. Differing from a previous report, growth of S. mutans alone with GlcN inhibited expression of multiple operons required for mutacin production. Co-cultivation with S. gordonii consistently increased the expression by S. mutans of two manganese transporter operons (slo and mntH) and decreased expression of mutacin genes. Conversely, S. gordonii appeared to be less affected by the presence of S. mutans, but did show increases in genes for biosynthetic processes in the co-cultures. In conclusion, amino sugars profoundly alter the interactions between a pathogenic and commensal streptococcus by reprogramming central metabolism.IMPORTANCECarbohydrate metabolism is central to the development of dental caries. A variety of sugars available to dental microorganisms influence the development of caries by affecting the physiology, ecology, and pathogenic potential of tooth biofilms. Using two well-characterized oral bacteria, one pathogen (Streptococcus mutans) and one commensal (Streptococcus gordonii) in a RNA deep-sequencing analysis, we studied the impact of two abundant amino sugars on bacterial gene expression and interspecies interactions. The results indicated large-scale remodeling of gene expression induced by GlcN in particular, affecting bacterial energy generation, acid production, protein synthesis, and release of antimicrobial molecules. Our study provides novel insights into how amino sugars modify bacterial behavior, information that will be valuable in the design of new technologies to detect and prevent oral infectious diseases.