Enterococcus faecalis Maltodextrin Gene Regulation by Combined Action of Maltose Gene Regulator MalR and Pleiotropic Regulator CcpA
Abstract
Enterococcus faecalis represents a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections worldwide. Several studies highlighted the importance of carbohydrate metabolism in the infection process of this bacterium. The genes required for maltodextrin metabolism are particularly induced during mouse infection and, therefore, should play an important role for pathogenesis. Since no data were hitherto available concerning the regulation of expression of the maltodextrin operons, we have conducted experiments to study the underlying mechanisms.