Project description:We use high through put RNA sequenceing technology to study the genome-wide expression profile in an oral pathogen Filifactor alocis when co-cultured with another key-stone oral pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis under anaerobic conditions and oxidative stress conditions.
Project description:Filifactor alocis is a Gram-positive asaccharolytic, obligate anaerobic rod of the phylum Firmicutes, strongly associated with periodontitis. In this study, we performed the whole proteomic analysis of an F. alocis type strain (ATCC 35896; CCUG 47790), as well as nine clinically isolated strains at the Clinical Oral Microbiology Laboratory, Umeå University, for identification and deeper characterization of this species. Label-free quantification was used to compare the proteomic differences between different strains.
Project description:Periodontitis is a multifactorial chronic inflammatory infectious disease with a high prevalence in the adult population in the USA. Until recently, research into periodontitis focused primarily on putative pathogens such as Porphyromonas gingivalis. However, a reappraisal of microbial etiology has marked a turning point in the field due to the development of culture-independent techniques that allow the identification of bacterial species directly from nucleic acids. Filifactor alocis, a Gram positive anaerobic oral bacterium, has emerged as an important periodontal pathogen. Neutrophils are recruited in high numbers to the gingival tissue, where they are linked with protection against periodontal disease. However, periodontal pathogens evolved different strategies to resist neutrophil microbicidal mechanisms while propagating inflammation, which affords a source of nutrients. The goal of this study was to determine the global changes in human neutrophil gene expression induced by F. alocis challenge. RNA-sequencing analysis shows that F. alocis-challenge alters human neutrophil transcriptome including expression of genes associated with regulation of Toll-Like Receptor signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, apoptosis, cytokines and chemokines, among other neutrophil effector functions.
Project description:Oal anaerobic bacteria have to face constant oxidative stress in order to survive in the inflammatory environment of the periodontal pocket. In this study, we analyzed the transcriptome profiles of P. gingivalis and Filifactor in monoculture as compared to P. gingivalis+F.alocis coculture under H2O2 stress condtions, to analyze the genes responsible for enhanced survival of P. gingivalis in presence of F. alocis under oxidative-stress conditions.
Project description:Previous studies have shown that smoking induces oxidative stress and inflammation, known factors that coincide with the development and progression of silicosis. Nevertheless, the precise role of cigarette smoke exposure in silicosis and the underlying mechanisms are not clearly understood. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to determine the effect of smoking, if any, on silica-induced pulmonary response and the underlying mechanisms. Pulmonary toxicity and lung gene expression profiles were determined in male Fischer 344 rats exposed to air, crystalline silica, cigarette smoke or cigarette smoke plus crystalline silica. Silica exposure resulted in significant pulmonary toxicity which was further exacerbated by cigarette smoke exposure in the rats. Significant differences in the gene expression profiles were detected in the lungs of the rats exposed to cigarette smoke, silica or a combination of both compared with the control rats.