Uncovering complex microbiome activities via metatranscriptomics during 24 hours of oral biofilm assembly and maturation

Abstract

It is highly regarded that acidic conditions in dental plaque cause a net loss of enamel from teeth. Here, as pH drops below 5.5 pH to 4.7, we observe blooms of cariogenic lactobacilli, and a transition point of many bacterial gene expression activities within the community. To our knowledge, this represents the first study of the assembly and maturation of a complex oral bacterial biofilm community that addresses gene level functional responses over time.

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Identifiers

DOI

10.1186/s40168-018-0591-4

PubMed

30522530

Journal

Microbiome

Year

2018