Characterisation of the common steps in the glycosylation of Arg-gingipains and synthesis of LPS and APS of P.gingivalis

牙周病或牙龈疾病是一种非常常见的口腔疾病，影响10-15%的英国人口。在严重的情况下，这种疾病会导致牙齿脱落，越来越多的证据表明，患有这种疾病的人可能更容易患上其他疾病，包括心脏病。目前，NHS的一般牙科服务每年花费超过2.7亿英镑用于牙周病治疗及其后果。因此，有显着的临床和财政压力，以开发改进的方法，诊断控制和这种疾病。牙龈卟啉单胞菌是引起牙周病的重要细菌之一。这种细菌的关键特征之一是它能够在受影响的个体的口中生活很长一段时间，尽管身体的行动！的免疫防御。在这项工作中，我们的目标是了解如何构建牙龈卟啉单胞菌表面的三个组成部分。特别是，我们将研究它们的合成步骤，这些步骤似乎是所有三个共同的，并且可能证明是有用的治疗靶点。从长远来看，更好地了解这种细菌的生物学及其在患者体内生存的机制，有望开发出治疗这种疾病和相关人类慢性感染性疾病的新方法。

Periodontal disease, or gum disease, is a very common disease of the mouth which affects between 10-15% of the UK population. In severe cases the disease leads to loss of the teeth and there is growing evidence that people with this disease may be more susceptible to other conditions including heart disease. Over £270 million is currently spent annually by the General Dental Services of the NHS on periodontal disease treatment and its consequences. Hence there are significant clinical and financial pressures to develop improved methods of diagnosis control and of this disease. Porphyromonas gingivalis is one of the most important bacterial causes of periodontal disease. One of the critical characteristics of this bacterium is its ability to live in the mouth of an affected individual for a long period of time despite the actions of the body!s immune defences. In this work we aim to understand the how three components of the surface of P. gingivalis are constructed. In particular we will examine a the steps in their synthesis which appear to be common to all three and which may prove useful therapeutic targets. In the longer term a better understanding of the biology of this bacterium and the mechanisms it uses to survive in patients can be expected to lead to the development of novel methods for the treatment of this disease and related chronic infectious diseases of human