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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/11375/23741
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dc.contributor.advisorSurette, Michael-
dc.contributor.authorWu, Bryan-
dc.date.accessioned2019-01-14T21:12:01Z-
dc.date.available2019-01-14T21:12:01Z-
dc.date.issued2018-
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11375/23741-
dc.description.abstractThe Streptococcus Anginosus Group (SAG) is a group of Gram-positive cocci which require carbon dioxide to grow. They are commensal members of the healthy upper respiratory, gastrointestinal and female urogenital tract; however, they are most commonly known as major pathogens in brain and liver abscesses, forming both mono- and polymicrobial infections. The Streptococcus invasion locus (sil), first identified as a virulence factor in Group A Streptococcus (GAS), has recently been identified in the SAG. The sil locus in GAS is a two component quorum-sensing system composed of three operons: silAB, coding for a two component system; silE/D/CR, coding for an ABC transporter and a signal peptide, and silC, which overlaps silCR on the opposite strand. The presence of exogenous SilCR activates SilA, which in turn upregulates the transcription of the silE/D/CR operon. In the SAG, however, silCR and silED have distinct promoters, and the SAG sil system lacks the silC gene. In this study, I examined the transcriptional dynamics of the sil system in S. intermedius B196. I determined that SilA is the major regulator of the genes in the sil system, being one of the first genes of the system to be expressed, and likely upregulates its own transcription. I also found evidence suggesting that, despite having its own promoter, silCR transcription may still be driven by the silED promoter. I also found evidence that suggests silED may be responsible for the export and/or processing of bacteriocins targeting closely related species or strains.en_US
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.subjectsilen_US
dc.subjectstreptococcus invasion locusen_US
dc.titleAN ANALYSIS INTO THE FUNCTIONING OF THE S. INTERMEDIUS B196 STREPTOCOCCUS INVASION LOCUSen_US
dc.title.alternativeTHE STREPTOCOCCUS INVASION LOCUS IN S. INTERMEDIUS B196en_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
dc.contributor.departmentBiochemistry and Biomedical Sciencesen_US
dc.description.degreetypeThesisen_US
dc.description.degreeMaster of Science (MSc)en_US
dc.description.layabstractThe Streptococcus are a group of bacteria known for causing diseases ranging from strep throat to flesh-eating disease; however, many species of Streptococcus are usually non-pathogenic, and live in our bodies without causing harm. One group of these bacteria, the Streptococcus Anginosus Group (SAG), is commonly found in our mouths and gut and usually cause no harm; however, in some cases it can cause infections. How these organisms switch from being nonpathogenic to pathogenic is unknown, but recently a gene network that appears to play a role in infection, the Streptococcus invasion locus (sil), was identified in the SAG. This gene network senses the signals released by other bacteria with the network, and only turns on when enough signal is present. The goal of this study is to examine how the system works in the SAG in order to determine how these bacteria coordinate sil gene expression.en_US
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