Regulation of the Growth Rate of Streptococcus mutans

Streptococcus mutans strain GS-5 was grown under a variety of environmental conditions in order to achieve different balanced growth rates. A range of growth rates could be obtained using limitations in the concentrations of glutamate/glutamine, leucine, or valine. Different balanced growth rates were also obtained when cells were grown in a variety of carbon sources. Using glucose, cellobiose, amygdalin, maltose, mannitol, and galactose, reproducible doubling times were obtained ranging from 61 to 226 min.