title: Systematic study of genes influencing cellular chain length in Streptococcus sanguinis.
abstract: Streptococcus sanguinis is a Gram-positive bacterium that is indigenous to the oral cavity. S. sanguinis, a primary colonizer of the oral cavity, serves as a tether for the attachment of other oral pathogens. The colonization of microbes on the tooth surface forms dental plaque, which can lead to the onset of periodontal disease. We examined a comprehensive mutant library to identify genes related to cellular chain length and morphology using phase-contrast microscopy. A number of hypothetical genes related to the cellular chain length were identified in this study. Genes related to the cellular chain length were analysed along with clusters of orthologous groups (COG) for gene functions. It was discovered that the highest proportion of COG functions related to cellular chain length was 'cell division and chromosome separation'. However, different COG functions were also found to be related with altered cellular chain length. This suggested that different genes related with multiple mechanisms contribute to the cellular chain length in S. sanguinis SK36.
authors.affiliation: VCU Philips Institute of Oral and Craniofacial Molecular Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0566, USA.
authors.forename: Karra
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.affiliation: VCU Philips Institute of Oral and Craniofacial Molecular Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0566, USA.
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Stone
authors.affiliation: VCU Philips Institute of Oral and Craniofacial Molecular Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0566, USA.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: VCU Philips Institute of Oral and Craniofacial Molecular Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0566, USA.
authors.forename: Xiuchun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ge
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.|Center for the Study of Biological Complexity of Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.|VCU Philips Institute of Oral and Craniofacial Molecular Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0566, USA.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D002455:Cell Division; D020090:Chromosome Segregation; D008858:Microscopy, Phase-Contrast; D013298:Streptococcus sanguis / Q000166:cytology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology