Production of extracellular and cell-associated glucosyltransferase activity by Streptococcus mutans during growth on various carbon sources.

The production of extracellular and cell-associated glucosyltransferase activity by Streptococcus mutans strain GS-5 was examined during growth on various carbon sources in a chemically defined medium. S. mutans cells produced glucosyltransferase activity only during logarithmic growth when glucose, fructose, mannitol, or sorbitol was the sole carbon source. Cells growing on mannitol or sorbitol produced approximately half as much extracellular glucosyltransferase activity as cells growing on glucose, although the proportions of the glucosyltransferase activity capable of synthesizing insoluble glucans were similar. Cells growing on fructose produced slightly more extracellular glucosyltransferase activity than cells grown on glucose, yet the proportion of the glucosyltransferase activity capable of synthesizing insoluble glucans was again similar to glucose cultures. S. mutans cells growing in the presence of both glucose and mannitol displayed diauxic growth and initial preferential utilization of glucose. Glucosyltransferase enzyme production occurred only during the phases of cell growth in the presence of the two carbon sources. The cell-associated glucosyltransferase activities of glucose-, fructose-, mannitol-, and sorbitol-grown cells were relatively low, yet all the cells were capable of adherence to glass in the presence of sucrose. When glucose-containing cultures of S. mutans were supplemented with sucrose, extracellular glucosyltransferase activity first became cell associated and then appeared to become inactivated, presumably due to the accumulation of insoluble glucans.