The acidogenicity of Streptococcus mutans is important for caries development. The antimicrobial peptide GH12 can affect the integrity of cellular membranes and the virulence factors of S. mutans. Combining GH12 and NaF (GF) efficiently controlled the development of caries, but its mechanisms remained unrevealed. This research intended to verify the effects of GF on the acidogenicity of S. mutans biofilms and to reveal the mechanisms. Lactic acid production assays and pH monitoring assays were conducted to investigate the regulatory effects of the GF treatment on the acidogenicity of S. mutans biofilms. RNA sequencing and bioinformatics analyses were conducted to screen the transcriptional profile affected by the GF treatment. The results demonstrated the GF group had significantly less lactic acid and maintained the broth’s pH values above 5.0 for longer times. Thereafter, GO/KEGG enrichment analyses and RT-qPCR validation revealed that the GF treatment mainly restrained the expression of genes related to the carbohydrates’ internalization and metabolism. Compared with NaF, the GF treatment further downregulated the carbohydrates transportation genes. Moreover, compared with GH12, the GF treatment affected the membrane’s integrity more significantly. Generally, GF treatment could arrest the acidogenicity of S. mutans biofilms, mainly through suppressing carbohydrates transportation and inhibiting overall metabolism.

More from our Archive

• DOI: 10.1002/jmv.28909 2023

  New‐onset neurodegenerative diseases as long‐term sequelae of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

  Masoud Rahmati, Dong Keon Yon, Seung Won Lee, Pinar Soysal, Ai Koyanagi, Louis Jacob, Yusheng Li, Jong Mi Park, Yong Wook Kim, Jae Il Shin, Lee Smith

• DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.es.2023.28.26.2300291 2023

  Increase in invasive group A streptococcal infections and emergence of novel, rapidly expanding sub-lineage of the virulent Streptococcus pyogenes M1 clone, Denmark, 2023

  Thor Bech Johannesen, Charlotte Munkstrup, Sofie Marie Edslev, Sharmin Baig, Stine Nielsen, Tjede Funk, Dennis Karsten Kristensen, Lars Hervig Jacobsen, Signe Fischer Ravn, Niels Bindslev, Sophie Gubbels, Marianne Voldstedlund, Pikka Jokelainen, Søren Hallstrøm, Astrid Rasmussen, Karl Gústaf Kristinsson, David Fuglsang-Damgaard, Ram B Dessau, Agnieszka Barbara Olsén, Christian Salgaard Jensen, Annette Skovby, Svend Ellermann-Eriksen, Thøger Gorm Jensen, Esad Dzajic, Claus Østergaard, Steen Lomborg Andersen, Steen Hoffmann, Peter Henrik Andersen, Marc Stegger

• DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11071765 2023

  Holistic Strategies to Control Salmonella Infantis: An Emerging Challenge in the European Broiler Sector

  Laura Montoro-Dasi, Laura Lorenzo-Rebenaque, Ana Marco-Fuertes, Santiago Vega, Clara Marin

• DOI: 10.1002/rmv.2470 2023

  Tick‐borne encephalitis: A comprehensive review of the epidemiology, virology, and clinical picture

  Gabriele Chiffi, Denis Grandgirard, Stephen L. Leib, Aleš Chrdle, Daniel Růžek

• DOI: 10.1146/annurev-virology-111821-115636 2023

  CBASS to cGAS-STING: The Origins and Mechanisms of Nucleotide Second Messenger Immune Signaling

  Kailey M. Slavik, Philip J. Kranzusch

• DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.es.2023.28.27.2200806 2023

  Estimated incubation period distributions of mpox using cases from two international European festivals and outbreaks in a club in Berlin, May to June 2022

  Sarah E McFarland, Ulrich Marcus, Lukas Hemmers, Fuminari Miura, Jesús Iñigo Martínez, Fernando Martín Martínez, Elisa Gil Montalbán, Emilie Chazelle, Alexandra Mailles, Yassoungo Silue, Naïma Hammami, Amaryl Lecompte, Nicolas Ledent, Wim Vanden Berghe, Laurens Liesenborghs, Dorien Van den Bossche, Paul R Cleary, Jacco Wallinga, Eve P Robinson, Tone Bjordal Johansen, Antra Bormane, Tanya Melillo, Cornelia Seidl, Liza Coyer, Ronja Boberg, Annette Jurke, Dirk Werber, Alexander Bartel

• DOI: 10.1002/jmv.28936 2023

  Torque teno virus viral load predicts SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccine response in kidney transplant recipients

  Morgane Solis, Ilies Benotmane, Floriane Gallais, Sophie Caillard, Samira Fafi‐Kremer

• DOI: 10.1002/jmv.28892 2023

  Bacterial and fungal superinfections are detected at higher frequency in critically ill patients affected by SARS CoV‐2 infection than negative patients and are associated to a worse outcome

  Maria Antonia De Francesco, Liana Signorini, Simone Piva, Simone Pellizzeri, Benedetta Fumarola, Silvia Corbellini, Giorgio Piccinelli, Francesca Simonetti, Valentina Carta, Lucia Mangeri, Michela Padovani, Daniela Vecchiati, Nicola Latronico, Francesco Castelli, Arnaldo Caruso

• DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11071714 2023

  Beneficial Bacteria Isolated from Food in Relation to the Next Generation of Probiotics

  Barbara Sionek, Aleksandra Szydłowska, Dorota Zielińska, Katarzyna Neffe-Skocińska, Danuta Kołożyn-Krajewska

• DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11071772 2023

  Desulfovibrio in the Gut: The Enemy within?

  Sudha B. Singh, Amanda Carroll-Portillo, Henry C. Lin