Investigation of composition, structure and immunogenicity of the lipopolysaccharide from the oral bacterium Selenomonas sputigena
Abstract
In the human oral cavity polymicrobial communities are the norm. Disruption of their balance can lead to the development of periodontitis. The hallmark of this disease is the irreversible destruction of the tissue that surrounds and supports the teeth. Microbial biofilms and substances released from them play important roles in the development and progression of the disease. Several surface components of bacteria have been proposed as virulence factors that contribute to periodontal tissue inflammation and destruction. Among these are lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) of Gram-negative cell walls that play crucial roles in host-bacterium interactions. Therefore, LPSs are considered important virulence factors of pathogenic, Gram-negative bacteria. Selenomonas sputigena, an anaerobic, Gram-negative, motile bacterium has been identified as dominant microbial member in periodontal lesions and it is believed that S. sputigena contributes relevantly to the structural organization of oral biofilms. In a previous study, the S. sputigena LPS has been shown to induce interleukin-1α and interleukin-6 production in murine macrophages and, thus, to cause periodontal inflammation. In the present proposal, we are aiming at characterizing the S. sputigena LPS as a virulence factor in human periodontal disease. Our aim is to fully elucidate the composition and structure of the S. sputigena LPS and to verify a possible modification of the LPS lipid A portion with 4-amino-4-deoxy-L-arabinopyranose (Ara4N) for which there are indications on the genome basis. Furthermore, we intend to shed light on the immunogenicity of the S. sputigena LPS on human cells by evaluating its potency to stimulate the production of proinflammatory cytokines in human macrophages. Structural, functional and molecular properties of cell surface components support the key role of these molecules for intra- and interbacterial communication as well as in host-bacterium interactions.
keywords Oral bacterium Selenomonas sputigena Lipopolysaccharide Glycan structure Immunogenicity
Publikationen
Project staff
Christina Schäffer
Univ.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.nat.techn. Christina Schäffer
christina.schaeffer@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-80203
Project Staff
01.01.2015 - 31.12.2016
BOKU partners
External partners
Forschungszentrum Borstel
none
partner