# Understanding S. Mutans Pathogenesis in a Social and Ecological Setting

> **NIH NIH F32** · J. CRAIG VENTER INSTITUTE, INC. · 2020 · $4,962

## Abstract

Project Summary
While Streptococcus mutans is often cited as the primary etiologic agent of dental caries, evidence that caries
is a polymicrobial and ecological disease continues to mount. A detailed understanding of the spatial
relationship and functional interaction between S. mutans and its neighbors within the dental plaque
community, as well as their impact on disease etiology is still lacking, and one of the unsolved mysteries in
cariology is that, while the levels of S. mutans correlate well with the disease incidences overall, there are
numerous cases in which an individual has a significant burden of S. mutans, but an absence of disease.
Based upon preliminary data indicating that the microbial profile of the dental plaque of healthy subjects was
significantly different from that of individuals with caries, we hypothesize that the bacterial species with
direct physical interaction with S. mutans within the dental plaque consortium play a critical role in
modulating the physiology and pathogenicity of S. mutans. To test this hypothesis, we will carry out three
interconnected aims: Aim 1: Developing a systematic approach to discover and characterize the
physically interacting partners of S. mutans in a diverse dental plaque community. Three assays will be
developed to determine the dental plaque species with which S. mutans physically interacts and explore the
biogeography of these interactions. Aim 2: Analyzing oral microbial samples from human subjects with
different caries severity and identifying the physically interacting partner species of S. mutans. Clinical
samples from individuals with a high S. mutans burden and either advanced dental caries or no disease will be
analyzed by the techniques developed in Aim 1, to identify how the S. mutans interacting partners and their
spatial relationship within clinical dental plaque differs between the two clinical groups. Aim 3: Investigating
the impact of physically interacting partners on S. mutans physiology and pathogenicity. Transcriptomic
and metabolomic studies will be used to monitor the impact of interactions with specific partner species on
expression of genes involved in the pathogenesis of S. mutans. This study will identify the ecological
fingerprints of cariogenic plaque and will greatly increase the understanding of the relationship between S.
mutans and its neighbors in the dental plaque community and will also pave the way for the future study of
specific S. mutans genes involved in community pathogenicity.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10150463
- **Project number:** 5F32DE026947-05
- **Recipient organization:** J. CRAIG VENTER INSTITUTE, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Jonathon Baker
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $4,962
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-01-01 → 2020-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10150463

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10150463, Understanding S. Mutans Pathogenesis in a Social and Ecological Setting (5F32DE026947-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10150463. Licensed CC0.

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