Extracellular fructosyltransferase (levansucrase; EC 2.4.1.10) production in Actinomyces viscosus T14AV was demonstrated to occur concomitantly with cellular growth. The inhibition of both cellular ribonucleic acid and protein synthesis resulted in no further accumulation of enzyme activity. The antibiotic sodium clofibrate differentially inhibited the production of fructosyltransferase by stra...

The plaque flora isolated from discrete dentogingival sites during a human gingivitis experiment was analyzed as a function of the plaque score and of the gingivitis score. When the gingivitis score was plotted as a function of the plaque score, a nonbleeding gingivitis was associated with a proportional increase in the Actinomyces sp. at the expense of the Streptococcus sp. In particular, the ...

Actinomyces naeslundii (ATCC 12104) and Actinomyces viscosus (ATCC 19246) were radiolabeled externally (125I) or metabolically (35S) and analyzed for their ability to bind glycosphingolipids separated on thin layer chromatograms or coated in microtiter wells. Two binding properties were found and characterized in detail. (i) Both bacteria showed binding to lactosylceramide (LacCer) in a fashion...

A highly specific aggregation factor for Streptococcus sanguis H1 (AFH1) was obtained by lysozyme treatment of Actinomyces viscosus T14V. At 1 micrograms/ml, AFH1 aggregated a suspension of S. sanguis H1, with which A. viscosus T14V coaggregates by a mechanism not inhibited by lactose: even at much higher levels AFH1 caused little or no aggregation of streptococci from other coaggregation group...

Actinomyces spp., predominant members of human oral biofilms, may use extracellular sialidase to promote adhesion, deglycosylate immunoglobulins and liberation of nutrients. Partial nanH gene sequences (1,077 bp) from Actinomyces oris (n=74), Actinomyces naeslundii (n=30), Actinomyces viscosus (n=1) and Actinomyces johnsonii (n=2) which included the active-site region and the bacterial neuramin...