
University of Rochester
1.
Cross, Benjamin W.
The Role of PlsX in Fatty Acid Synthesis and Acid
Adaptation in Streptococcus mutans.
Degree: PhD, 2016, University of Rochester
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/1802/30973
Streptococcus mutans is one of the primary
causative agents of dental caries in
humans. S. mutans ferments
dietary sugars in the mouth to produce organic acids. These
acids
lower local pH values resulting in demineralization of the tooth
enamel, leading to
caries. To survive acidic environments, S.
mutans employs several adaptive
mechanisms, including a shift from
saturated to unsaturated fatty acids in membrane
phospholipids.
Evidence suggests that this shift requires de novo fatty acid and
phospholipid synthesis; therefore, understanding these synthesis
pathways is crucial for
understanding how S. mutans adapts to low
pH and causes caries. PlsX is an acyl-
ACP:phosphate transacylase
that links the fatty acid synthesis pathway to the
phospholipid
synthesis pathway, and is central to the movement of unsaturated
fatty
acids into the membrane. It has recently been discovered
that plsX is not essential in S.
mutans. This study explores how
the loss of plsX affects the ability of S. mutans to alter
its
membrane fatty acid profile and survive at low pH.
The plsX
deletion mutant (ΔplsX) is not a fatty acid or phospholipid
auxotroph,
indicating that some alternative pathway is capable of
carrying out the first step of
phospholipid synthesis. Gas
chromatography of fatty acid methyl esters (GC-FAME)
indicates
that deletion of plsX impacts the regulation of fatty acid
synthesis, altering the
length and saturation of fatty acids.
Surprisingly, ΔplsX survives significantly longer
than the parent
strain, UA159, when subjected to an acid challenge of pH 2.5. This
enhanced survival may be due to the increased F-ATPase activity
observed at low pH.
This enhanced F-ATPase activity may be due to
the altered fatty acid profile, or may be part of a response to
membrane stress. Supplementing ΔplsX with exogenous
unsaturated
fatty acids does not restore any wild-type phenotypes; however,
incorporation of exogenous fatty acids is 2-fold greater in ΔplsX,
compared to UA159.
Exogenous oleic acid was observed to decrease
survival in acid challenge for both
ΔplsX and UA159. These results
clearly indicate that the loss of plsX affects both the
fatty acid
synthesis pathway and the acid-adaptive response of S.
mutans.
Subjects/Keywords: Acid; Caries; Fatty acid; Mutans; PlsX; Streptococcus
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APA (6th Edition):
Cross, B. W. (2016). The Role of PlsX in Fatty Acid Synthesis and Acid
Adaptation in Streptococcus mutans. (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Rochester. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/1802/30973
Chicago Manual of Style (16th Edition):
Cross, Benjamin W. “The Role of PlsX in Fatty Acid Synthesis and Acid
Adaptation in Streptococcus mutans.” 2016. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Rochester. Accessed January 23, 2021.
http://hdl.handle.net/1802/30973.
MLA Handbook (7th Edition):
Cross, Benjamin W. “The Role of PlsX in Fatty Acid Synthesis and Acid
Adaptation in Streptococcus mutans.” 2016. Web. 23 Jan 2021.
Vancouver:
Cross BW. The Role of PlsX in Fatty Acid Synthesis and Acid
Adaptation in Streptococcus mutans. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Rochester; 2016. [cited 2021 Jan 23].
Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/1802/30973.
Council of Science Editors:
Cross BW. The Role of PlsX in Fatty Acid Synthesis and Acid
Adaptation in Streptococcus mutans. [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Rochester; 2016. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/1802/30973