Alpine grazing management, breed, and diet effects on coagulation properties, composition, and microbiota of dairy cow milk by commercial mountain-based herds.

Cow milk microbiota has received increased attention in recent years, not only because of its importance for human health but also because of its effect on the quality and technological properties of milk. Several studies, therefore, have investigated the effect of various production factors on the microbial composition of milk. However, most of the previous studies considered a limited number of animals from experimental or single farm, which could have biased the results.

Amyloid Aggregates Are Localized to the Nonadherent Detached Fraction of Aging Streptococcus mutans Biofilms.

The number of bacterial species recognized to utilize purposeful amyloid aggregation within biofilms continues to grow. The oral pathogen Streptococcus mutans produces several amyloidogenic proteins, including adhesins P1 (also known as AgI/II, PAc) and WapA, whose truncation products, namely, AgII and AgA, respectively, represent the amyloidogenic moieties. Amyloids demonstrate common biophysical properties, including recognition by Thioflavin T (ThT) and Congo red (CR) dyes that bind to the cross β-sheet quaternary structure of amyloid aggregates.

Amyloid Aggregation of Streptococcus mutans Cnm Influences Its Collagen-Binding Activity.

The gene, coding for the glycosylated collagen- and laminin-binding surface adhesin Cnm, is found in the genomes of approximately 20% of Streptococcus mutans clinical isolates and is associated with systemic infections and increased caries risk. Other surface-associated collagen-binding proteins of S. mutans, such as P1 and WapA, have been demonstrated to form an amyloid quaternary structure with functional implications within biofilms.