The collagen binding protein Cnm contributes to oral colonization and cariogenicity of Streptococcus mutans OMZ175.
Streptococcus mutans is the etiological agent of dental caries and one of the many bacterial species implicated in infective endocarditis. The expression of the collagen-binding protein Cnm by S. mutans has been associated with extraoral infections, but its relevance for dental caries has only been theorized to date. Due to the collagenous composition of dentinal and root tissues, we hypothesized that Cnm may facilitate the colonization of these surfaces, thereby enhancing the pathogenic potential of S. mutans in advancing carious lesions. As shown for extraoral endothelial cell lines, Cnm mediates the invasion of oral keratinocytes and fibroblasts by S. mutans. In this study, we show that in the Cnm(+) native strain, OMZ175, Cnm mediates stringent adhesion to dentinal and root tissues as well as collagen-coated surfaces and promotes both cariogenicity and carriage in vivo. In vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo experiments revealed that while Cnm is not universally required for S. mutans cariogenicity, it contributes to (i) the invasion of the oral epithelium, (ii) enhanced binding on collagenous surfaces, (iii) implantation of oral biofilms, and (IV) the severity of caries due to a native Cnm(+) isolate. Taken together, our findings reveal that Cnm is a colonization factor that contributes to the pathogenicity of certain S. mutans strains in their native habitat, the oral cavity.
Center for Oral Biology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA.
James H
JH
Miller
Center for Oral Biology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA.
Alejandro
A
Avilés-Reyes
Center for Oral Biology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA.
Kathy
K
Scott-Anne
Center for Oral Biology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA.
Stacy
S
Gregoire
Department of Dentistry, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA.
Gene E
GE
Watson
Department of Oral Biology and Center for Molecular Microbiology, University of Florida College of Dentistry, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
Edith
E
Sampson
Department of Oral Biology and Center for Molecular Microbiology, University of Florida College of Dentistry, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
Ann
A
Progulske-Fox
Biofilm Research Laboratories, Levy Center for Oral Health, Division of Pediatric Dentistry and Community Oral Health, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Hyun
H
Koo
Center for Oral Biology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA.
William H
WH
Bowen
Center for Oral Biology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA.
José A
JA
Lemos
Center for Oral Biology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA jacqueline_abranches@urmc.rochester.edu.
Jacqueline
J
Abranches
D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002353:Carrier State / Q000382:microbiology; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000382:microbiology*; D003804:Dentin / Q000382:microbiology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D014092:Tooth Root / Q000382:microbiology
D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial; D002352:Carrier Proteins; C488758:Cnm protein, Streptococcus mutans