Abstract 1584 Illuminating the Dynamic Interplay Between the ComABCDE and ComRS Quorum Sensing Systems in Streptococcus mutans via Real-Time Luminescence-Based Bioassays

Streptococcus mutans is a pioneering bacterium in the human oral microbiome and the major cause of the most infectious disease worldwide, dental caries. S. mutans evolved to survive in the mouth's everchanging conditions (e.g., pH, salivary flow, fast-and-feast cycles). To do this, S. mutans uses quorum sensing (QS) to control the expression of genes responsible for group behaviors involved in the establishment and dominance of its niche. The two major QS systems used by S. mutans are the ComABCDE and ComRS systems, which control bacteriocin production and genetic competence, respectively.