Latest Findings on Polyketides/Non-ribosomal Peptides That Are Secondary Metabolites of Streptococcus mutans

Dental caries is a chronic infectious disease that occurs in the hard tissue of teeth under the influence of multiple factors, among which bacteria being a key factor. ( ) is considered a major pathogen that causes caries. Secondary metabolites, including bacteriocins and polyketides/non-ribosomal peptides, are a class of small-molecule compounds synthesized by . To date, polyketides/non-ribosomal peptides identified in include mutanobactin, mutanocyclin, and mutanofactin, which are synthesized by the , , and biosynthetic gene clusters, respectively. These polyketides/non-ribosomal peptides play important roles in bacterial inter-species competition, oxidative stress, and biofilm formation. In this review, we provided an overview of the synthesis, function and regulation of three polyketides/non-ribosomal peptides of , including mutanobactin, mutanocyclin, and mutanofactin, aiming to provide new insights into the cariogenic mechanism of and to promote the better management of dental caries.