Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans H-NS promotes biofilm formation and alters protein dynamics of other species within a polymicrobial oral biofilm
Abstract
Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans is a Gram-negative organism, strongly associated with aggressive forms of periodontitis. An important virulence property of A. actinomycetemcomitans is its ability to form tenacious biofilms that can attach to abiotic as well as biotic surfaces. The histone-like (H-NS) family of nucleoid-structuring proteins act as transcriptional silencers in many Gram-negative bacteria. To evaluate the role of H-NS in A. actinomycetemcomitans, hns mutant derivatives of serotype a strain D7S were generated. Characteristics of the hns mutant phenotype included shorter and fewer pili, and substantially lower monospecies biofilm formation relative to the wild type. Furthermore, the D7S hns mutant exhibited significantly reduced growth within a seven-species oral biofilm model. However, no apparent difference was observed regarding the numbers and proportions of the remaining six species regardless of being co-cultivated with D7S hns or its parental strain. Proteomics analysis of the strains grown in monocultures confirmed the role of H-NS as a repressor of gene expression in A. actinomycetemcomitans. Interestingly, proteomics analysis of the multispecies biofilms indicated that the A. actinomycetemcomitans wi...Continue Reading
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