P GINGIVALIS GENES INVOLVED IN EPITHELIAL ATTACHMENT

描述（改编自申请人的摘要）： 统称为牙周炎的是细菌感染。 一小群 的革兰氏阴性口腔细菌始终与特定的 疾病的形式。 牙龈卟啉单胞菌的存在与慢性和 严重成人牙周炎。 牙龈卟啉单胞菌和其他牙周 在患病的人牙龈内观察到病原体，但分子 附着到组织和穿透组织的机制是未知的。 之前，申请人用定量数据证明了P. 牙龈炎附着并侵入口腔上皮细胞。 随后的 研究表明，这种生物能够渗透和分裂， 多层袋上皮模型的细胞。 目前的目标是 剖析分子之间的初始相互作用的事件， 细菌和上皮细胞。 本申请集中在分子 牙龈卟啉单胞菌附着于上皮细胞的机制。 新数据 使用牙龈卟啉单胞菌野生型对附着进行体外调节 型和突变株。 数据还介绍了牙龈卟啉单胞菌基因 在筛选表达文库的克隆后分离，所述克隆结合 上皮细胞 本申请的具体目的是：1） 确定牙龈卟啉单胞菌附着于上皮细胞所需的活性， 2）鉴定参与附着的细菌基因;和 3)分离牙龈卟啉单胞菌这些基因缺陷的同基因突变体。 的 牙龈卟啉单胞菌和上皮细胞之间的串扰发生在 附着步骤，并且感染途径部分地由 两种细胞类型之间的信号传递。 因此，依恋是关键 预防性干预战略的目标， 附着的分子机制对于 成功的治疗

DESCRIPTION (Adapted from the Applicant's Abstract): The diseases collectively known as periodontitis are bacterial infections. A small group of gram-negative oral bacteria are consistently associated with specific forms of disease. The presence of P. gingivalis is linked to chronic and severe adult periodontitis. P. gingivalis and the other periodontal pathogens are observed within diseased human gingiva, but the molecular mechanisms of attachment to, and penetration of, tissue are unknown. Previously, the applicant demonstrated, with quantitative data, that P. gingivalis attached to and invaded oral epithelial cells. A subsequent study showed that this organism was able to penetrate and divide within the cells of a multilayered pocket epithelium model. The current goal is to dissect the molecular events in the initial interactions between the bacterium and epithelial cells. This application focuses on the molecular mechanisms of attachment of P. gingivalis to epithelial cells. New data are presented on the in vitro modulation of attachment using P. gingivalis wild type and mutant strains. Data is also presented on P. gingivalis genes isolated after screening an expression library for clones which bound epithelial cells. The specific aims of this application are to: 1) determine the P. gingivalis activities required for attachment to epithelial cells in vitro; 2) identify the bacterial genes involved in attachment; and 3) isolate P. gingivalis isogenic mutants defective in these genes. The cross-talk between P. gingivalis and the epithelial cell takes place at the attachment step, and the infection pathway is decided, in part, by the signaling between the two cell types. Therefore, attachment is the key target for preventative intervention strategies and understanding the molecular mechanisms of attachment is critical for the development of successful therapies.