PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Qi, Fengxia
AU  - Merritt, Justin
AU  - Lux, Renate
AU  - Shi, Wenyuan
TI  - Inactivation of the <em>ciaH</em> Gene in <em>Streptococcus mutans</em> Diminishes Mutacin Production and Competence Development, Alters Sucrose-Dependent Biofilm Formation, and Reduces Stress Tolerance
AID  - 10.1128/IAI.72.8.4895-4899.2004
DP  - 2004 Aug 01
TA  - Infection and Immunity
PG  - 4895--4899
VI  - 72
IP  - 8
4099  - http://iai.asm.org/content/72/8/4895.short
4100  - http://iai.asm.org/content/72/8/4895.full
SO  - Infect. Immun.2004 Aug 01; 72
AB  - Many clinical isolates of Streptococcus mutans produce peptide antibiotics called mutacins. Mutacin production may play an important role in the ecology of S. mutans in dental plaque. In this study, inactivation of a histidine kinase gene, ciaH, abolished mutacin production. Surprisingly, the same mutation also diminished competence development, stress tolerance, and sucrose-dependent biofilm formation.