The secret of human oral microbial small molecules promoting dental plaque formation revealed

The team of Professor Qian Peiyuan of Guangdong Laboratory of Southern Ocean Science and Engineering (Guangzhou) (referred to as Guangzhou Ocean Laboratory), in collaboration with Professor Zhang Wenjun, Professor Roya Maboudian of the University of California, Berkeley, and Professor Robert Burne of the University of Florida School of Dentistry, applied genomics The methods of transcriptomics and chemical biology have revealed the physical and chemical mechanisms of human oral microbial small molecules that promote the formation of dental plaque.

Biofilm is an organized group of bacteria wrapped by extracellular macromolecules.

In order to solve the mystery of human oral microbial synthesis and secondary metabolism of small molecules that promote the formation of dental plaque, researchers have extended the interaction between microbes and animals regulated by biofilm signal molecules to the field of public health, using genomics, transcriptomics and chemical biology According to the scientific method, a gene cluster (ie, polyketide/non-ribosomal peptide biosynthesis gene cluster muf ) directly related to the enhancement of biofilm formation ability was found from the strains of Streptococcus mutans isolated from clinical dental plaque , and the muf The biologically active product mutanofactin-697 with a novel molecular skeleton structure produced by the gene cluster.

After further studies on the mechanism of action, the researchers clarified the physicochemical mechanism of mutanofactin-697 as a secondary metabolite of microorganisms, which promotes the formation of biofilms.

Qian Peiyuan stated that the omics and physicochemical mechanisms of bacterial gene groups and their corresponding metabolic molecules that form dental plaque will provide new scientific basis for the impact of oral biota on human health, and promote the prevention and prevention of human oral diseases.

Related paper information: org/10.