Initial biofilm formation in caries-active and caries-inactive individuals

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Caries still is the infectious disease with highest prevalence worldwide and it is of considerable economic relevance. Initial bioadhesion and pellicle formation are essential for the establishment of a caries-pathogenic biofilm on the tooth surface. However, until now function and structure of the in situ pellicle and its initial bacterial colonization have not been evaluated so far with respect to caries activity and caries susceptibility. For the first time the pellicles of caries-active and caries inactive adult subjects will be characterized with respect to structure, function and initial bacterial colonization in the submitted project. For this purpose, enzymatic, electron-microscopic and fluorescence-microscopic techniques will be applied; the adherent bacteria will be evaluated with biomolecular techniques (DGGE, T-RFLP). In addition, the adherent S. mutans species will be explored with molecular mass spectrometry. Strong emphasis is laid on glucosyltransferases (GTF), their products (glucans) and their interactions with other pellicle components as well as with the adherent bacteria. GTFs are relevant key proteins for the process of biofilm formation, but up to now, the interactions of GTFs with other pellicle components have only been investigated in vitro. It is aimed to characterize the process of initial bioadhesion with respect to the individual caries activity in detail. The results will contribute to basic research a as well as to development of new strategies in caries prevention.