BACKGROUND One of the major diseases affecting the oral health is periodontal disease. Various therapeutic methods have been introduced to eliminate the periodonto-pathic subgingival microflora. Among these, Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) has a major role in the pathogenesis of different forms of periodontal diseases. OBJECTIVES The present study investigated the antimicrobial effec...

We thank Dr Quirke and colleagues for their interest in our study. We have some concerns, however, that the authors’ attempt to reconcile our work on Porphyromonas gingivalis peptidylarginine deiminase (PPAD) autocitrullination with their model of periodontal disease in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) misrepresents our data. 2 The discovery that citrullination is the primary antigenic determinant rec...

We thank Dr Quirke and colleagues for their interest in our study. We have some concerns, however, that the authors’ attempt to reconcile our work on Porphyromonas gingivalis peptidylarginine deiminase (PPAD) autocitrullination with their model of periodontal disease in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) misrepresents our data. 2 The discovery that citrullination is the primary antigenic determinant rec...

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Porphyromonas gingivalis prevented apoptosis of HL60-derived neutrophils, which could not be restored upon the addition of interleukin-10. Signaling of P. gingivalis LPS through Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), not TLR4, may account for the inhibiting effect of P. gingivalis LPS on apoptosis and provide a mechanism for the development of destructive periodontal inflamm...

The complement system plays a central role in immunity and inflammation, although certain pathogens can exploit complement to undermine protective immunity. In this context, the periodontal keystone pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis was previously shown by our group to evade killing by neutrophils or macrophages through exploitation of complement C5a receptor 1 (C5aR1) and complement receptor 3...

The role of the macrophage in the immunopathology of periodontitis has not been well defined. In this study, we show that intraoral inoculation of mice with Porphyromonas gingivalis resulted in infection, alveolar bone resorption, and a significant increase in F4/80(+) macrophages in gingival and submandibular lymph node tissues. Macrophage depletion using clodronate-liposomes resulted in a sig...

BACKGROUND Chaperones are ubiquitous conserved proteins critical in stabilization of new proteins, repair/removal of defective proteins and immunodominant antigens in innate and adaptive immunity. Periodontal disease is a chronic inflammatory infection associated with infection by Porphyromonas gingivalis that culminates in the destruction of the supporting structures of the teeth. We previousl...

Cell wall-anchored polypeptides of the antigen I/II family are produced by many species of oral streptococci. These proteins mediate adhesion of streptococci to salivary glycoproteins and to other oral microorganisms and promote binding of cells to collagen type I and invasion of dentinal tubules. Since infections of the root canal system have a mixed anaerobic bacterial etiology, we investigat...

TLR2-DEPENDENT MODULATION OF OSTEOCLASTOGENESIS BY PORPHYROMONAS GINGIVALIS THROUGH DIFFERENTIAL INDUCTION OF NFATc1 AND NF-κB Ping Zhang, Jianzhong Liu, Qingan Xu, Gregory Harber, Xu Feng, Suzanne M. Michalek, and Jenny Katz Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Pathology and Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35294, United States, and Key Laboratory for Oral B...

Background Entamoeba gingivalis (E. gingivalis) is an anaerobic protozoan that strongly associated with inflamed periodontal pockets. It able to invade the mucosal epithelium of human host, where it can feed on epithelial cells and elicit a severe innate immune response. Unlike other species, considered E. cannot form cysts, because non-infectious protozoan. The lack encystation capability woul...