Uptake and Metabolism of N -Acetylglucosamine and Glucosamine by Streptococcus mutans

1 1 2 Uptake and Metabolism of N - Acetylglucosamine and 3 Glucosamine by Streptococcus Mutans

Uptake and metabolism of N-acetylglucosamine and glucosamine by Streptococcus mutans.

Glucosamine and N-acetylglucosamine are among the most abundant sugars on the planet, and their introduction into the oral cavity via the diet and host secretions, and through bacterial biosynthesis, provides oral biofilm bacteria with a source of carbon, nitrogen, and energy. In this study, we demonstrated that the dental caries pathogen Streptococcus mutans possesses an inducible system for t...

Metabolism of glycoprotein-derived sialic acid and N-acetylglucosamine by Streptococcus oralis.

Nine strains of Streptococcus oralis, isolated from blood cultures of patients with infective endocarditis or from the oral cavity as part of the normal flora, were examined for their ability to elaborate sialidase (neuraminidase) and N-acetylglucosaminidase, enzymes which are involved in the degradation of glycoproteins. Both glycosidases were induced when bacteria were grown in a minimal medi...

The effect of N-acetylglucosamine and glucosamine on carbohydrate metabolism in rat liver slices.

Little is known about the characteristics of the enzyme responsible for the phosphorylation of glucose in liver. Attempts to measure the activity of such a hexokinase have yielded low or variable results and have in general been unsatisfactory (14). In order to compare this enzyme with other hexokinases that have been studied more thoroughly, the metabolism of glucose and fructose by liver slic...

Import and metabolism of glutathione by Streptococcus mutans.

Glutathione (gamma-GluCysGly, GSH) is not found in most gram-positive bacteria, but some appear to synthesize it and others, including Streptococcus mutans ATCC 33402, import it from their growth medium. Import of oxidized glutathione (GSSG) by S. mutans 33402 in 7H9 medium was shown to require glucose and to occur with an apparent Km of 18+/-5 microM. GSSG, GSH, S-methylglutathione, and homocy...