CHEMOTAXIS AND PATHOGENESIS OF TREPONEMA DENTICOLA

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This research aims to study chemotaxis of Treponema denticola. T. denticola, a motile gram negative oral spirochete, was found to be associated with periodontal diseases. Previous studies have recognized the role motility plays in allowing the bacterium to penetrate periodontal tissues and migrate to sites favorable to bacteria] proliferation. This grant application proposes that the motility of T. denticola is controlled by a chemotaxis system and aim to study the chemotaxis genes and chemotactic behavior of T. denticola. Summarized here are the proposed experiments: 1) chemotaxis genes will be identified, cloned and sequenced using a newly isolated cheA PCR fragment as the probe; 2) chemotaxis mutants will be constructed based on insertional gene disruption and homologous recombination; and 3) the chemotaxis mutants will be characterized using the chemotaxis assays developed in the laboratory. The knowledge learned from these studies could give insights into the molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis of T. denticola and other spirochete-related diseases.