GENETIC MECHANISM OF INTERSPECIES COMMUNICATION BETWEEN DENTAL PLAQUE BACTERIA

这个子项目是许多利用 由NIH/NCRR资助的中心赠款提供的资源。子项目和 研究者（PI）可能从另一个NIH来源获得了主要资金， 因此可以在其他CRISP条目中表示。所列机构为 研究中心，而研究中心不一定是研究者所在的机构。 人类口腔生物膜，牙菌斑，是一个公认的多物种细菌群落的例子。 我的研究兴趣在于研究组成牙菌斑的不同细菌之间的交流。 这种交流包括生物膜中生物体之间的细胞-细胞接触和代谢相互作用。 我目前的研究重点是两个成员之间发生的斑块社区，韦荣氏球菌和链球菌戈登。 当这些生物生长在一起时，S。gordonii诱导α-淀粉酶基因的表达，该基因在S. gordonii的种植不含非典型弧菌。 我的目标是确定这些物种之间发生的信号传导机制，并确定淀粉酶表达对混合物种群落发展的重要性。 我们最近发现了一个基因，它可能在S。gordonii诱导淀粉酶的表达。 作为理解S. gordonii和V. gordonica，我们构建了一个携带该基因突变的菌株。 目前的工作旨在表征突变体的能力，以响应V. Escherichia。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The human oral biofilm, dental plaque, is a well-recognized example of a multi-species bacterial community. My research interest lies in the study of communication between different species of bacteria that compose dental plaque. This communication includes cell-cell contact and metabolic interactions between organisms in the biofilm. My current research focus is communication that occurs between two members of the plaque community, Veillonella atypica and Streptococcus gordonii. When these organisms are growing together, S. gordonii induces expression of an alpha-amylase gene that is not expressed when S. gordonii is grown without V. atypica. My goals are to identify the mechanism of signaling that occurs between these species and determine the importance of amylase expression to development of the mixed-species community. We have recently identified a gene that may play a role in the ability of S. gordonii to induce amylase expression in response to V. atypica. As a first step in understanding the molecular basis for the signalling between S. gordonii and V. atypica, we constructed a strain carrying a mutation in this gene. Current work is aimed at characterizing the mutant with respect to its ability to respond to V. atypica.