The DOI matches its Crossref record; 59 of the 59 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
The Role of Exopolysaccharides in Oral Biofilms
Open accessAbstract
The oral cavity contains a rich consortium of exopolysaccharide-producing microbes. These extracellular polysaccharides comprise a major component of the oral biofilm. Together with extracellular proteins, DNA, and lipids, they form the biofilm matrix, which contributes to bacterial colonization, biofilm formation and maintenance, and pathogenesis. While a number of oral microbes have been studied in detail with regard to biofilm formation and pathogenesis, the exopolysaccharides have been well characterized for only select organisms, namely Streptococcus mutans and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans. Studies on the exopolysaccharides of other oral organisms, however, are in their infancy. In this review, we present the current research on exopolysaccharides of oral microbes regarding their biosynthesis, regulation, contributions to biofilm formation and stability of the matrix, and immune evasion. In addition, insight into the role of exopolysaccharides in biofilms is highlighted through the evaluation of emerging techniques such as pH probing of biofilm colonies, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance for macromolecular interactions within biofilms, and super-resolution microscopy analysis of biofilm development. Finally, exopolysaccharide as a potential nutrient source for species within a biofilm is discussed.
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“Furthermore, exopolysaccharides create chemical and metabolic gradients within biofilms that affect chemical and nutrient cycling as well as diffusion, thus altering the microenvironment and pH within biofilms consortium.”
From The oral microbiome: Role of key organisms and complex networks in oral health and disease (2021) · cites this paper as [187]
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МІКРОБІОТА ПОРОЖНИНИ РОТА. ЗАКОНОМІРНОСТІ ФОРМУВАННЯ ТА ПРОФІЛАКТИЧНІ СТРАТЕГІЇ
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Metadata
- Authors
- Cugini, C., Shanmugam, M., Landge, N., & Ramasubbu, N.
- Affiliations
- Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (US)
- Corresponding author
- Ramasubbu, N.
- Venue
- Journal of Dental Research
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2019-04-22
- Volume
- 98
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 739-745
- ISSN
- 0022-0345 (ISSN-L)
- 1544-0591
- PMC
- PMC6589894
- OpenAlex
- W2941974751
- Cited by
- 124
- References
- 59
- Citations by year
- 2026: 14 · 2025: 25 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 19 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 2
- FWCI
- 0.97
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Journal of Dental Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (R21DE027125, DE022544)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Bacterial biofilms and quorum sensing
- Health Sciences › Dentistry › Periodontics › Oral microbiology and periodontitis research
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Food Science › Polysaccharides Composition and Applications
- Keywords
- exopolysaccharides, dental plaque, biofilm matrix, Streptococcus mutans, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, exopolysaccharide biosynthesis, gene expression regulation, bacterial colonization, pathogenesis, immune evasion, solid-state NMR, super-resolution microscopy
- MeSH terms
- Humans, Mouth, Polysaccharides, Bacterial, Streptococcus mutans, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Biofilms
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