Abstract
Laboratory studies of bacterial gene expression have not allowed the investigation of in vivo factors crucial to pathogenesis. Recently, genetic tools have been used to identify in vivo-activated genes. These tools, however, have not allowed the measurement of specific expression levels of virulence-associated bacterial genes in vivo. This report describes a system, previously tested utilizing the fructosyltransferase (ftf)gene of Streptococcus mutans, that allows the measurement of activity of specific virulence-associated streptococcal genes while bacteria are living in the animal environment.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Bowen WH, Madison KM, Pearson SK (1988). Influence of desalivation in rats on incidence of caries in intact cagemates. J Dent Res 67: 1316–1318.
Camilli A, Beattie DT, Mekalanos JJ (1991). Use of genetic recombination as a reporter of gene expression. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 91: 2634–2638.
Camilli A, Mekalanos JJ (1995). Use of recombinase gene fusions to identify Vibrio cholerae genes induced during infection. Mol Microbiol 18: 671–683.
Grey, WT, Curtiss R III, Hudson MC (1997). Expression of the Streptococcus Mutans fructosyltransferase gene within a mammalian host. Infect Immun 65: 2488–2490.
Hamada S, Slade HD (1980). Biology, immunology, and cariogenicity of Streptococcus mutans. Microbiol Rev 44: 331–384.
Hudson MC, Curtiss R III (1990). Regulation of expression of Streptococcus mutans genes important to virulence. Infect Immun 58: 464–470.
Hudson MC, and Curtiss R III (1991). Use of operon fusions to study gene expression in Streptococcus mutans. In: Dunny GM, Cleary PP, McKay LL (eds), Genetics and molecular biology of streptococci, lactococci, and enterococci, pp 261–266. Washington, DC: American Society for Microbiology.
Ikeda T, Koulourides T, Kurita T, Housch T, Hirasawa M (1985). Anti-dental caries effect in rats and man of a bacteriocin purified from the oral bacterium Streptococcus mutans C3603. Archs Oral Biol 30: 381–384.
Kawanabe J, Hirasawa M, Takeuchi T, Oda T, Ikeda T (1992). Noncariogenicity of erythritol as a substrate. Caries Res 26: 358–362.
Keyes, PH, Jordan HV (1964). Periodontal lesions in the Syrian hamster-III Findings related to an infectious and transmissible component. Archs Oral Biol 9: 377–400.
Kiska, DL, Macrina FL (1994). Genetic regulation of fructosyltransferase in Streptococcus Mutans. Infect Immun 62: 1241–1251.
Mahan, MJ, Tobias JW, Slauch JM, Hanna PC, Collier RJ, Mekalanos JJ (1995). Antibiotic-based selection for bacterial genes that are specifically induced during infection of a host. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 92: 669–673.
Ooshima T, Sumi N, Izumitani A, Sobue S (1988). Effect of inoculum size and frequency on the establishment of Streptococcus mutans in the oral cavities of experimental animals. J Dent Res 67: 964–968.
Shaw WV (1979). Chloramphenicol acetyltransferase from chloramphenicol-resistant bacteria. Methods Enzymol 43: 737–755.
Shaw WV, Packman LC, Burleigh BD, Dell A, Morris HR, Hartley BS (1979). Primary structure of achloramphenicol acetyltransferase specified by R plasmids. Nature (London) 282: 872–872.
Sleigh, MJ (1986). A nonchromatographic assay for expression of the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene in eucaryotic cells. Anal Biochem 156: 251–256.
Wexler DL, Hudson MC, Burne RA (1993). Streptococcus mutans fructosyltransferase (ftf) and glucosyltransferase (gtfBC) operon fusion strains in continuous culture. Infect Immun 61: 1259–1267.
Weyrauch CD, Burgess JO, Reagan SE (1995). Tooth loss during compulsory dental care. Military Med 160: 194–197.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1998 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Grey, W.T., Lasker, J.D., Curtiss, R., Hudson, M.C. (1998). Examination of streptococcal gene expression in the mammalian environment. In: Fives-Taylor, P.M., LeBlanc, D.J. (eds) Methods for studying the genetics, molecular biology, physiology, and pathogenesis of the streptococci. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-2258-2_16
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-2258-2_16
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-5262-9
Online ISBN: 978-94-017-2258-2
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive