Faculty Collaboration Database

Mucin O-glycans suppress quorum-sensing pathways and genetic transformation in Streptococcus mutans. Nat Microbiol 2021 May;6(5):574-583

Date

03/20/2021

Pubmed ID

33737747

Pubmed Central ID

PMC8811953

DOI

10.1038/s41564-021-00876-1

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-85103067573 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   58 Citations

Abstract

Mucus barriers accommodate trillions of microorganisms throughout the human body while preventing pathogenic colonization¹. In the oral cavity, saliva containing the mucins MUC5B and MUC7 forms a pellicle that coats the soft tissue and teeth to prevent infection by oral pathogens, such as Streptococcus mutans². Salivary mucin can interact directly with microorganisms through selective agglutinin activity and bacterial binding^2-4, but the extent and basis of the protective functions of saliva are not well understood. Here, using an ex vivo saliva model, we identify that MUC5B is an inhibitor of microbial virulence. Specifically, we find that natively purified MUC5B downregulates the expression of quorum-sensing pathways activated by the competence stimulating peptide and the sigX-inducing peptide⁵. Furthermore, MUC5B prevents the acquisition of antimicrobial resistance through natural genetic transformation, a process that is activated through quorum sensing. Our data reveal that the effect of MUC5B is mediated by its associated O-linked glycans, which are potent suppressors of quorum sensing and genetic transformation, even when removed from the mucin backbone. Together, these results present mucin O-glycans as a host strategy for domesticating potentially pathogenic microorganisms without killing them.

Author List

Werlang CA, Chen WG, Aoki K, Wheeler KM, Tymm C, Mileti CJ, Burgos AC, Kim K, Tiemeyer M, Ribbeck K

Author

Kazuhiro Aoki PhD Associate Professor in the Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Dental Caries
Host-Pathogen Interactions
Humans
Mucin-5B
Polysaccharides
Quorum Sensing
Saliva
Streptococcus mutans
Transformation, Bacterial
Virulence