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中国生物工程杂志

China Biotechnology
China Biotechnology  2015, Vol. 35 Issue (6): 90-100    DOI: 10.13523/j.cb.20150614
    
Advances in Research on Natural Competence of Gram-positive Bacteria and Its Physiological Properties
JIA Cui-li, ZHANG Hua-wei, WANG Bin-bin, ZHU Hong-ji, QIAO Jian-jun
Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University; Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Ministry of Education; SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin 300072, China
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Abstract  

Natural competence is a physiological state in which bacteria develop a capacity to take up exogenous DNA in the natural environment. Most bacteria have similar DNA-uptake mechanism which mainly includes two processes. Firstly the exogenous DNA is degraded into single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) with the coordinated effect of competence protein. Then ssDNA are integrated into the chromosome under the protection of DprA, SsbB and RecA. Nowadays, the competence regulation in Streptococcus mutans is extensively studied. S. mutans combined with other bacteria were cited as the examples to introduce the advances of natural competence. The ComX in S. mutans works as a core regulatory protein during natural competence. It could activate a large set of late competence genes required for exogenous DNA uptake and integration. The comX in S. mutans are focused on. The regulatory mechanisms of ComDE, ComRS, HdrRM, BsrRM and RcrRPQ on comX were summarized. Besides, ComX stability and ComX-regulated genes were elucidated. Meanwhile, the intimate linkage between natural competence and biofilm formation, acid resistance as well as bacteriocins synthesis was analyzed. Finally, the potential research trends of natural competence were put forward.



Key wordsNatural competence      DNA uptake      ComX      Competence regulation     
Received: 18 March 2015      Published: 25 June 2015
ZTFLH:  Q819  
Cite this article:

JIA Cui-li, ZHANG Hua-wei, WANG Bin-bin, ZHU Hong-ji, QIAO Jian-jun. Advances in Research on Natural Competence of Gram-positive Bacteria and Its Physiological Properties. China Biotechnology, 2015, 35(6): 90-100.

URL:

https://manu60.magtech.com.cn/biotech/10.13523/j.cb.20150614     OR     https://manu60.magtech.com.cn/biotech/Y2015/V35/I6/90


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