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Infection and Immunity, December 2000, p. 6912-6916, Vol. 68, No. 12
0019-9567/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Formation of Methyl Mercaptan from L-Methionine by Porphyromonas gingivalis

Mamiko Yoshimura, Yoshio Nakano, Yoshihisa Yamashita, Takahiko Oho, Toshiyuki Saito, and Toshihiko Koga*

Department of Preventive Dentistry, Kyushu University Faculty of Dental Science, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan

Received 17 July 2000/Returned for modification 6 September 2000/Accepted 20 September 2000

Methyl mercaptan production by oral bacteria is thought to be one of the main causes of oral malodor. We examined the ability of periodontopathic Porphyromonas gingivalis to produce methyl mercaptan from L-methionine and found that the invasive strains W83 and W50 produced large amounts of methyl mercaptan. We cloned and sequenced the mgl gene encoding L-methionine-alpha -deamino-gamma -mercaptomethane-lyase (METase) from P. gingivalis W83. The structural mgl gene consisted of 1,200 bp and encoded a 43.3-kDa protein. To examine the role of methyl mercaptan in the pathogenesis of P. gingivalis, a METase-deficient mutant of P. gingivalis W83 was constructed. The methionine degradation activity and virulence of the mutant (M1217) and the parent strain (W83) in mice were compared. M1217 showed a marked decrease in the formation of methyl mercaptan from L-methionine and decreased virulence compared with the wild-type strain W83. These results suggest that methyl mercaptan not only is one of the sources of oral malodor, but may also play a role in the pathogenicity of P. gingivalis.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Preventive Dentistry, Kyushu University Faculty of Dental Science, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan. Phone: 81-92-642-6350. Fax: 81-92-642-6354. E-mail: toshidha{at}mbox.nc.kyushu-u.ac.jp.

Infection and Immunity, December 2000, p. 6912-6916, Vol. 68, No. 12
0019-9567/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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