Streptococcus
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologySpecies Designations Belie Phenotypic and Genotypic Heterogeneity in Oral StreptococciRepresentative type strains are commonly used to characterize bacterial species, yet species are phenotypically and genotypically heterogeneous. Conclusions about strain physiology and activity based on a single strain therefore may be inappropriate and misleading. When selecting strains for probiotic use, the assumption that all strains within a species share the same desired probiotic characteristics may result in selection of a...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyMetabolic Fingerprints from the Human Oral Microbiome Reveal a Vast Knowledge Gap of Secreted Small Peptidic MoleculesMetabolomics is the ultimate tool for studies of microbial functions under any specific set of environmental conditions (D. S. Wishart, Nat Rev Drug Discov 45:473–484, 2016, https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd.2016.32). This is a great advance over studying genes alone, which only inform about metabolic potential. Approximately 25,000 compounds have been chemically characterized thus far;...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyComprehensive Transcriptome Profiles of Streptococcus mutans UA159 Map Core Streptococcal Competence GenesS. mutans has the hard surfaces of the oral cavity as its natural habitat, where it depends on its ability to form biofilms in order to survive. The comprehensive identification of S. mutans regulons activated in response to peptide pheromones provides an important basis for understanding how...