Analysis of the glutamine active transport system of Streptococcus mutans.

Glutamine and glutamate are important amino acids for bacteria metabolism. Their uptake occurs via active transporter systems of the ABC family. On the present study we evaluate the glutamine/glutamate transport systems of Streptococcus mutans. In silico analysis revealed the presence of two polycistronic operons related to transport of glutamine/glutamate: the gln operon and a putative operon composed by smu.1177c, smu.1178c and smu.1179c genes. A mutant deleted on the smu.1177c, smu.1178c and smu.1179c was successfully obtained by site-direct mutagenesis (KG1 strain), which demonstrated an impairment on glutamine and glutamate uptake, as shown by the mutant deleted on the gln operon. The KG1 strain demonstrated a gain on the abiotic surface adhesion The results revealed that both, gln operon and the operon consisted by smu.1177c, smu.1178c and smu.1179c, are involved to the internalization of glutamine and glutamate on S. mutans. (AU)