Cutting Edge: TLR2 is required for the innate response to Porphyromonas gingivalis: activation leads to bacterial persistence and TLR2 deficiency attenuates induced alveolar bone resorption

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that leads to destruction of the attachment apparatus of the teeth. The presence of particular oral bacteria and the host inflammatory response contribute to disease progression. Porphyromonas gingivalis is a Gram-negative anaerobe considered to be a major periodontal pathogen. Isolated Ags from P. gingivalis activate innate immune cells through TLR2 or TLR4. We challenged TLR2- and TLR4-deficient mice with live P. gingivalis and studied the inflammatory response and bacterial survival. Wild-type and TLR4-deficient mice produced high levels of cytokines in response to P. gingivalis challenge, whereas cytokine levels were nearly absent or delayed in TLR2-deficient mice. Surprisingly, P. gingivalis was cleared far more rapidly in TLR2-deficient mice. In addition, TLR2-deficient mice resisted bone loss following oral infection with P. gingivalis.     

Porphyromonas gingivalis influences actin degradation within epithelial cells during invasion and apoptosis

Porphyromonas gingivalis, a Gram-negative oral pathogen, has been shown to induce apoptosis in human gingival epithelial cells, yet the underlining cellular mechanisms controlling this process are poorly understood. We have previously shown that the P. gingivalis proteases arginine and lysine gingipains, are necessary and sufficient to induce host cell apoptosis. In the present study, we demonstrate that 'P. gingivalis-induced apoptosis' is mediated through degradation of actin leading to cytoskeleton collapse. Stimulation of human gingival epithelial cells with P. gingivalis strains 33277 and W50 at moi:100 induced β-actin cleavage as early as 1 h and human serum inhibited this effect. By using gingipain-deficient mutants of P. gingivalis and purified gingipains, we demonstrate that lysine gingipain is involved in actin hydrolysis in a dose and time-dependent manner. Use of Jasplakinolide and cytochalasin D revealed that P. gingivalis internalization is necessary for actin cleavage. Further, we also show that lysine gingipain from P. gingivalis can cleave active caspase 3. Taken together, we have identified actin as a substrate for lysine gingipain and demonstrated a novel mechanism involved in microbial host cell invasion and apoptosis.     

Generation and characterization of a monoclonal antibody specific for the major thiol-activated cysteine proteinase of Porphyromonas gingivalis W83

An IgM monoclonal antibody specified for the thiol-activated proteinase of the oral pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis W83 was generated. The antibody reacted with a single protein of approximate molecular mass 43 kDa in outer membrane preparations of P. gingivalis. Immuno-electron microscopy using the monoclonal antibody and immunogold labelling confirmed the cell surface location of the thiol-activated proteinase. The monoclonal antibody failed to detect any proteins in Western blot analysis of other closely related oral bacteria. The specificity of this monoclonal antibody to the thiol-activated proteinase of P. gingivalis should allow its use as a diagnostic tool for the rapid enumeration of P. gingivalis in clinical samples.     

Porphyromonas gingivalis selectively up-regulates the HIV-1 coreceptor CCR5 in oral keratinocytes

Primary infection of oral epithelial cells by HIV-1, if it occurs, could promote systemic infection. Most primary systemic infections are associated with R5-type HIV-1 targeting the R5-specific coreceptor CCR5, which is not usually expressed on oral keratinocytes. Because coinfection with other microbes has been suggested to modulate cellular infection by HIV-1, we hypothesized that oral keratinocytes may up-regulate CCR5 in response to the oral endogenous pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis by cysteine-protease (gingipains) activation of the protease-activated receptors (PARs) or LPS signaling through the TLRs. The OKF6/TERT-2-immortalized normal human oral keratinocyte line expressed CXCR4, whereas CCR5 was not detectable. When exposed to P. gingivalis ATCC 33277, TERT-2 cells induced greater time-dependent expression of CCR5-specific mRNA and surface coreceptors than CXCR4. By comparing arg- (Rgp) and lys-gingipain (Kgp) mutants, a mutant deficient in both proteases, and the action of trypsin, P. gingivalis Rgp was strongly suggested to cleave PAR-1 and PAR-2 to up-regulate CCR5. CCR5 was also slightly up-regulated by an isogenic gingipain-deficient mutant, suggesting the presence of a nongingipain-mediated mechanism. Purified P. gingivalis LPS also up-regulated CCR5. Blocking TLR2 and TLR4 receptors with Abs attenuated induction of CCR5, suggesting LPS signaling through TLRs. P. gingivalis, therefore, selectively up-regulated CCR5 by two independent signaling pathways, Rgp acting on PAR-1 and PAR-2, and LPS on TLR2 and TLR4. By inducing CCR5 expression, P. gingivalis coinfection could promote selective R5-type HIV-1 infection of oral keratinocytes.     

The introduction of colonic-Bacteriodes shuttle plasmids into Porphyromonas gingivalis: Identification of a putative P. gingivalis insertion-sequence element

Two Escherichia coli-Bacteroides plasmid-shuttle vectors pNJR5 and pNJR12 were introduced for the first time into Porphyromonas gingivalis W83 by conjugal transfer from E. coli. The transfer frequencies were comparable to those obtained when using colonic Bacteroides as recipients. Both plasmids were maintained in P. gingivalis W83 and could be isolated and introduced back into E. coli. Plasmid DNA extracted from one P. gingivalis W83 pNJR12 transconjugant had an additional 1.5 kb of inserted DNA. Southern-blot analysis of P. gingivalis W83 chromosomal DNA using this inserted DNA as a probe revealed the presence of multiple copies of this sequence on the chromosome. We propose that this DNA represents a P. gingivalis insertion sequence (IS) element and should be referred to as IS1126. This is the first IS element to be isolated from a Gram-negative oral anaerobic bacterium.     

Growth inhibition of a human oral bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis by rat cysteine proteinase inhibitor cystatin S

T. UMEMOTO, Y. NAITO, M. LI, I. SUZUKI AND I. NAMIKAWA. 1996. Agar diffusion analysis demonstrated that rat cystatin S, a cysteine proteinase inhibitor, inhibited the growth of all tested strains of a human oral, Gram-negative anaerobic periodontopathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis. Its specific inhibitory activity against this tissue-invasive bacterium but not against other tested oral bacterial species emphasized the importance of specific cysteine proteinases for growth of P. gingivalis.     

Expression of functional Porphyromonas gingivalis fimbrillin polypeptide domains on the surface of Streptococcus gordonii.

Genetically engineering bacteria to express surface proteins which can antagonize the colonization of other microorganisms is a promising strategy for altering bacterial environments. The fimbriae of Porphyromonas gingivalis play an important role in the pathogenesis of periodontal diseases. A structural subunit of the P. gingivalis fimbriae, fimbrillin, has been shown to be an important virulence factor, which likely promotes adherence of the bacterium to saliva-coated oral surfaces and induces host responses. Immunization of gnotobiotic rats with synthetic peptides based on the predicted amino acid sequence of fimbrillin has also been shown to elicit a specific immune response and protection against P. gingivalis-associated periodontal destruction. In this study we engineered the human oral commensal organism Streptococcus gordonii to surface express subdomains of the fimbrillin polypeptide fused to the anchor region of streptococcal M6 protein. The resulting recombinant S. gordonii strains expressing P. gingivalis fimbrillin bound saliva-coated hydroxyapatite in a concentration-dependent manner and inhibited binding of P. gingivalis to saliva-coated hydroxyapatite. Moreover, the recombinant S. gordonii strains were capable of eliciting a P. gingivalis fimbrillin-specific immune response in rabbits. These results show that functional and immunologically reactive P. gingivalis fimbrillin polypeptides can be expressed on the surface of S. gordonii. The recombinant fimbrillin-expressing S. gordonii strains may provide an effective vaccine or a vehicle for replacement therapy against P. gingivalis. These experiments demonstrated the feasibility of expressing biologically active agents (antigens or adhesin molecules) by genetically engineered streptococci. Such genetically engineered organisms can be utilized to modulate the microenvironment of the oral cavity.     

Expression of saliva-binding epitopes of the Porphyromonas gingivalis FimA protein on the surface of Streptococcus gordonii

Porphyromonas gingivalis, a gram-negative oral anaerobic bacterium, has been implicated in the onset and development of periodontitis. The P. gingivalis fimbriae which mediate bacterial adherence to host oral sites and induce host inflammatory responses have been suggested as a potential antigen candidate. for vaccine development. This study was undertaken to generate Streptococcus gordonii vectors expressing the major subunit protein (FimA) of P. gingivalis fimbriae for testing as a potential live vaccine against periodontitis. We report here the expression of the C-terminal saliva-binding epitopes of P. gingivalis FimA on the surface of S. gordonii and demonstrate that domains containing free cysteine residues are poorly expressed on the surface of S. gordonii.     

Complete genome sequence of the oral pathogenic Bacterium porphyromonas gingivalis strain W83

The complete 2,343,479-bp genome sequence of the gram-negative, pathogenic oral bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis strain W83, a major contributor to periodontal disease, was determined. Whole-genome comparative analysis with other available complete genome sequences confirms the close relationship between the Cytophaga-Flavobacteria-Bacteroides (CFB) phylum and the green-sulfur bacteria. Within the CFB phyla, the genomes most similar to that of P. gingivalis are those of Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron and B. fragilis. Outside of the CFB phyla the most similar genome to P. gingivalis is that of Chlorobium tepidum, supporting the previous phylogenetic studies that indicated that the Chlorobia and CFB phyla are related, albeit distantly. Genome analysis of strain W83 reveals a range of pathways and virulence determinants that relate to the novel biology of this oral pathogen. Among these determinants are at least six putative hemagglutinin-like genes and 36 previously unidentified peptidases. Genome analysis also reveals that P. gingivalis can metabolize a range of amino acids and generate a number of metabolic end products that are toxic to the human host or human gingival tissue and contribute to the development of periodontal disease.     

Lipid raft-dependent uptake, signalling and intracellular fate of Porphyromonas gingivalis in mouse macrophages

Lipid rafts are cholesterol-enriched microdomains involved in cellular trafficking and implicated as portals for certain pathogens. We sought to determine whether the oral pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis enters macrophages via lipid rafts, and if so, to examine the impact of raft entry on its intracellular fate. Using J774A.1 mouse macrophages, we found that P. gingivalis colocalizes with lipid rafts in a cholesterol-dependent way. Depletion of cellular cholesterol using methyl-beta-cyclodextrin resulted in about 50% inhibition of P. gingivalis uptake, although this effect was reversed by cholesterol reconstitution. The intracellular survival of P. gingivalis was dramatically inhibited in cholesterol-depleted cells relative to untreated or cholesterol-reconstituted cells, even when infections were adjusted to allow equilibration of the initial intracellular bacterial load. P. gingivalis thus appeared to exploit raft-mediated uptake for promoting its survival. Consistent with this, lipid raft disruption enhanced the colocalization of internalized P. gingivalis with lysosomes. In contrast, raft disruption did not affect the expression of host receptors interacting with P. gingivalis, although it significantly inhibited signal transduction. In summary, P. gingivalis uses macrophage lipid rafts as signalling and entry platforms, which determine its intracellular fate to the pathogen's own advantage.     

Low-abundance biofilm species orchestrates inflammatory periodontal disease through the commensal microbiota and complement

Porphyromonas gingivalis is a low-abundance oral anaerobic bacterium implicated in periodontitis, a polymicrobial inflammatory disease, and the associated systemic conditions. However, the mechanism by which P. gingivalis contributes to inflammation and disease has remained elusive. Here we show that P. gingivalis, at very low colonization levels, triggers changes to the amount and composition of the oral commensal microbiota leading to inflammatory periodontal bone loss. The commensal microbiota and complement were both required for P. gingivalis-induced bone loss, as germ-free mice or conventionally raised C3a and C5a receptor-deficient mice did not develop bone loss after inoculation with P. gingivalis. These findings demonstrate that a single, low-abundance species can disrupt host-microbial homeostasis to cause inflammatory disease. The identification and targeting of similar low-abundance pathogens with community-wide impact may be important for treating inflammatory diseases of polymicrobial etiology.     

基于Box Behnken响应面法优化口腔模拟环境IgY抑制牙龈卟啉单胞菌增殖

【目的】利用Box Behnken响应面法研究免疫球蛋白Y(Ig Y)影响牙龈卟啉单胞菌(Porphyromonas gingivalis)的生长繁殖特性,发现口腔模拟环境中P.gingivalis的响应值与Ig Y剂量、初始P.gingivalis数量、培养时间的关系。【方法】以P.gingivalis最终的菌落数为评价指标,通过单因素试验研究培养时间、Ig Y剂量和初始P.gingivalis数量的最佳条件,再依据Box Behnken中心组合原则设计三因素三水平响应面试验进行优化,评价Ig Y的抑制效果。优化得到的试验条件重复3次,以验证模型的准确性。【结果】单因素试验结果表明,以180 mmol/L的Ig Y剂量,2×10~6 CFU/m L的初始P.gingivalis数量,37°C厌氧培养4 h,口腔模拟环境Ig Y对P.gingivalis繁殖的影响达到最佳状态。通过Design Expert 8.0软件对回归方程的分析得到各因素最佳条件为:Ig Y剂量165 mmol/L、初始P.gingivalis数量2×10~6 CFU/m L、培养时间4.5 h。采用优化实验条件,重复3次试验,P.gingivalis最终菌落数是5.92×10~5 CFU/m L,与模型预测值5.85×10~5 CFU/m L相对误差1%,方差分析表明模型P值显著,缺失值P值不显著,理论值与实测值拟合良好。【结论】Ig Y能显著抑制牙龈卟啉单胞菌的增殖,优化后口腔模拟环境中的P.gingivalis最终菌落数显著降低,回归模型能够预测口腔模拟环境中P.gingivalis的增殖。     

Synergistic growth studies of Entamoeba gingivalis using an Ecologen.

A unique multiple diffusion growth chamber, an Ecologen, designed for the study of interactions among microorganisms, was introduced as a means of growing xenic cultures of Entamoeba gingivalis with Crithidia sp. or Yersinia enterocolitica. Entamoeba gingivalis was grown in the central diffusion reservoir of the Ecologen connected to separate growth chambers inoculated with the microorganisms to be evaluated. Growth of the accompanying bacteria in the E. gingivalis compartment was almost completely eliminated, except for sparse Pseudomonas sp. growth. The most vital E. gingivalis cultures were observed when either Crithidia sp. or Y. enterocolitica were added to the Ecologen 48 h prior to the E. gingivalis inoculum. The medium which provided the best growth of the oral protozoan in this system was the new improved E. gingivalis medium containing antibiotics.     

Roles of Arg- and Lys-gingipains in coaggregation of Porphyromonas gingivalis: identification of its responsible molecules in translation products of rgpA, kgp, and hagA genes

Arg- (Rgp) and Lys-gingipains (Kgp) are two individual cysteine proteinases produced by Porphyromonas gingivalis , an oral anaerobic bacterium, and are implicated as major virulence factors in a wide range of pathologies of adult periodontitis. Coaggregation of this bacterium with other oral bacteria is an initial and critical step in infectious processes, yet the factors and mechanisms responsible for this process remain elusive. Here we show that the initial translation products of the rgpA , kgp and hemagglutinin hagA genes are responsible for coaggregation of P. gingivalis and that the proteolytic activity of Rgp and Kgp is indispensable in this process. The rgpA rgpB kgp- and rgpA kgp hagA -deficient triple mutants exhibited no coaggregation activity with Actinomyces viscosus , whereas the kgp -null and rgpA rgpB -deficient double mutants significantly retained this activity. Consistently, the combined action of Rgp- and Kgp-specific inhibitors strongly inhibited the coaggregation activity of the bacterium, although single use of Rgp- or Kgp-specific inhibitor significantly retained this activity. We also demonstrate that the 47- and 43-kDa proteins produced from the translation products of the rgpA , kgp , and hagA genes by proteolytic activity of both Rgp and Kgp are responsible for the coaggregation of P. gingivalis.     

Th1 biased response to a novel Porphyromonas gingivalis protein aggravates bone resorption caused by this oral pathogen

In previous studies we showed that biasing the immune response to Porphyromonas gingivalis antigens to the Th1 phenotype increases inflammatory bone resorption caused by this organism. Using a T cell screening strategy we identified eight P. gingivalis genes coding for proteins that appear to be involved in T-helper cell responses. In the present study, we characterized the protein encoded by the PG_1841 gene and evaluated its relevance in the bone resorption caused by P. gingivalis because subcutaneous infection of mice with this organism resulted in the induction of Th1 biased response to the recombinant PG1841 antigen molecule. Using an immunization regime that strongly biases toward the Th1 phenotype followed by challenge with P. gingivalis in dental pulp tissue, we demonstrate that mice pre-immunized with rPG1841 developed severe bone loss compared with control immunized mice. Pre-immunization of mice with the antigen using a Th2 biasing regime resulted in no exacerbation of the disease. These results support the notion that selected antigens of P. gingivalis are involved in a biased Th1 host response that leads to the severe bone loss caused by this oral pathogen.     

Inactivation of the Porphyromonas gingivalis fimA gene blocks periodontal damage in gnotobiotic rats.

Fimbrial production by Porphyromonas gingivalis was inactivated by insertion-duplication mutagenesis, using the cloned gene for the P. gingivalis major fimbrial subunit protein, fimA. by several criteria, this insertion mutation rendered P. gingivalis unable to produce fimbrilin or an intact fimbrial structure. A nonfimbriated mutant, DPG3, hemagglutinated sheep erythrocytes normally and was unimpaired in the ability to coaggregate with Streptococcus gordonii G9B. The cell surface hydrophobicity of DPG3 was also unaffected by the loss of fimbriae. However, DPG3 was significantly less able to bind to saliva-coated hydroxyapatite than wild-type P. gingivalis 381. This suggested that P. gingivalis fimbriae are important for adherence of the organism to saliva-coated oral surfaces. Further, DPG3 was significantly less able to cause periodontal bone loss in a gnotobiotic rat model of periodontal disease. These observations are consistent with other data suggesting that P. gingivalis fimbriae play an important role in the pathogenesis of human periodontal disease.     

Porphyromonas gingivalis-mediated shedding of extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN) by oral epithelial cells: a potential role in inflammatory periodontal disease

Extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN) or CD147 is a transmembrane glycoprotein expressed by various cell types, including oral epithelial cells. Recent studies have brought evidence that EMMPRIN plays a role in periodontitis. In the present study, we investigated the effect of Porphyromonas gingivalis, a major pathogen in chronic periodontitis, on the shedding of membrane-anchored EMMPRIN and on the expression of the EMMPRIN gene by oral epithelial cells. A potential contribution of shed EMMPRIN to the inflammatory process of periodontitis was analyzed by evaluating the effect of recombinant EMMPRIN on cytokine and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) secretion by human gingival fibroblasts. ELISA and immunofluorescence analyses revealed that P. gingivalis mediated the shedding of epithelial cell-surface EMMPRIN in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Cysteine proteinase (gingipain)-deficient P. gingivalis mutants were used to demonstrate that both Arg- and Lys-gingipain activities are involved in EMMPRIN shedding. Real-time PCR showed that P. gingivalis had no significant effect on the expression of the EMMPRIN gene in epithelial cells. Recombinant EMMPRIN induced the secretion of IL-6 and MMP-3 by gingival fibroblasts, a phenomenon that appears to involve mitogen activated protein kinases. The present study brought to light a new mechanism by which P. gingivalis can promote the inflammatory response during periodontitis.     

Human Toll-like receptor 4 responses to P. gingivalis are regulated by lipid A 1- and 4'-phosphatase activities

Signal transduction following binding of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is an essential aspect of host innate immune responses to infection by Gram-negative pathogens. Here, we describe a novel molecular mechanism used by a prevalent human bacterial pathogen to evade and subvert the human innate immune system. We show that the oral pathogen, Porphyromonas gingivalis , uses endogenous lipid A 1- and 4'-phosphatase activities to modify its LPS, creating immunologically silent, non-phosphorylated lipid A. This unique lipid A provides a highly effective mechanism employed by this bacterium to evade TLR4 sensing and to resist killing by cationic antimicrobial peptides. In addition, lipid A 1-phosphatase activity is suppressed by haemin, an important nutrient in the oral cavity. Specifically, P. gingivalis grown in the presence of high haemin produces lipid A that acts as a potent TLR4 antagonist. These results suggest that haemin-dependent regulation of lipid A 1-dephosphorylation can shift P. gingivalis lipid A activity from TLR4 evasive to TLR4 suppressive, potentially altering critical interactions between this bacterium, the local microbial community and the host innate immune system.