Zhou Jing, Ma Qizhao, Liang Jingou, Pan Yangyang, Chen Yang, Yu Shuxing, Liu Yaqi, Zhang Qiong, Li Yuqing, Zou Jing
State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Department of Pediatric Dentistry, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Front Microbiol. 2025 Jan 17;15:1507928. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1507928. eCollection 2024.
is a key etiological agent in dental caries, owing to its strong ability to form biofilms through carbohydrate fermentation. Protein acetylation, facilitated by GNAT family acetyltransferases, plays a critical regulatory role in bacterial physiology, but its impact on remains largely unexplored. In this study, we investigated the role of the GNAT family acetyltransferase encoded by in regulating the growth and biofilm formation of . The deletion of resulted in impaired growth, reduced biofilm formation, and diminished synthesis of water-insoluble extracellular polysaccharides (EPS). Proteomic analysis revealed 166 differentially expressed proteins in the deletion mutant, with significant enrichment in pathways related to carbohydrate transport and metabolism, and translation. Notably, glucosyltransferases GtfB and GtfC, key enzymes in biofilm formation, were significantly downregulated in the deletion mutant, while ClpL, a Clp-like ATP-dependent protease involved in protein homeostasis under stress conditions, was highly upregulated. These findings highlight that acetyltransferase plays a crucial role in the growth, biofilm formation, and EPS synthesis of through its regulation of carbohydrate transport and metabolism pathways, as well as stress response mechanisms. This study provides novel insights into the molecular mechanisms governing pathogenicity and suggests potential therapeutic targets for caries prevention.
由于其通过碳水化合物发酵形成生物膜的强大能力，是龋齿的关键病原体。由GNAT家族乙酰转移酶促进的蛋白质乙酰化在细菌生理学中起关键调节作用，但其对……的影响在很大程度上仍未被探索。在本研究中，我们研究了由……编码的GNAT家族乙酰转移酶在调节……生长和生物膜形成中的作用。……的缺失导致生长受损、生物膜形成减少以及水不溶性细胞外多糖（EPS）合成减少。蛋白质组学分析揭示了缺失突变体中有166种差异表达的蛋白质，在与碳水化合物运输和代谢以及翻译相关的途径中显著富集。值得注意的是，生物膜形成中的关键酶葡糖基转移酶GtfB和GtfC在缺失突变体中显著下调，而ClpL，一种在应激条件下参与蛋白质稳态的Clp样ATP依赖性蛋白酶，则高度上调。这些发现突出表明，乙酰转移酶……通过调节碳水化合物运输和代谢途径以及应激反应机制，在……的生长、生物膜形成和EPS合成中起关键作用。本研究为控制……致病性的分子机制提供了新见解，并提出了龋齿预防的潜在治疗靶点。
