Polyamines are small cationic molecules that have far-reaching roles in biology. In the case of pathogenic bacteria, these functions include those central to their pathogenesis. Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major bacterial pathogen, causing a diverse range of diseases that account for significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. In this work, we characterize the polyamine biosynthetic pathwa...

Dodecyl glycerol inhibits the synthesis of the peptidog lycans of S t r e p t o c o c c u s f a e c i u m ATCC 9790 and S t r e p t o c o c c u s mu tans BHT. This metabolic regulation represents the second known mode by which dodecyl g lyce ro l expresses ant ibacter ia l activity. The first mode of ac t ion of dodecyl glycerol was shown to s t i m u l a t e autolysin activity which degrades c...

Extracellular DNA (eDNA), a by-product of cell lysis, was recently established as a critical structural component of the Enterococcus faecalis biofilm matrix. Here, we describe fratricide as the governing principle behind gelatinase (GelE)-mediated cell death and eDNA release. GFP reporter assays confirmed that GBAP (gelatinase biosynthesis-activating pheromone) quorum non-responders (GelE-SprE...