SloR-SRE binding to the <i>S. mutans mntH</i> promoter is cooperative

Dental caries disproportionately impacts low-income socioeconomic groups in the United States and abroad. Research that is focused on <i>S. mutans</i>, the primary causative agent of dental caries in humans, is significant to mitigation efforts aimed at alleviating or preventing dental caries. The SloR protein is a major regulator of the <i>S. mutans</i> metal ion uptake machinery encoded by the sloABC- and mntH genes. This SloR-mediated gene control is essential for maintaining intracellular metal ion homeostasis, and hence <i>S. mutans</i> fitness in the plaque microbiome. An improved understanding of the sloABC and mntH metal ion transporters and their regulation by SloR can guide rational drug design that, by targeting the SloR-DNA-binding interface, can alleviate or prevent <i>S. mutans</i>-induced disease.