REGULATION OF SUGAR-TRANSPORT VIA THE MULTIPLE SUGAR METABOLISM OPERON OF STREPTOCOCCUS-MUTANS BY THE PHOSPHOENOLPYRUVATE PHOSPHOTRANSFERASE SYSTEM

In this report, we provide evidence that the transport of sugars in St reptococcus mutans via the multiple sugar metabolism system is regulat ed by the phosphoenolpyruvate phosphotransferase system. A ptsI-defect ive mutant (DC10), when grown on the multiple sugar metabolism system substrate raffinose, exhibited reduced growth, transport, and glycolyt ic activity with raffinose relative to the parent strain BM71. Inhibit ion of [H-3] raffinose uptake was also observed in both BM71 and DC10 with increasing concentrations of glucose and the glucose analogs or-m ethyl glucoside and 2-deoxyglucose.