title: Degradation of lactoferrin by periodontitis-associated bacteria.
abstract: The degradation of human lactoferrin by putative periodontopathogenic bacteria was examined. Fragments of lactoferrin were separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and measured by densitometry. The degradation of lactoferrin was more extensive by Porphyromonas gingivalis and Capnocytophaga sputigena, slow by Capnocytophaga ochracea, Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and Prevotella intermedia, and very slow or absent by Prevotella nigrescens, Campylobacter rectus, Campylobacter sputorum, Fusobacterium nucleatum ssp. nucleatum, Capnocytophaga gingivalis, Bacteroides forsythus and Peptostreptococcus micros. All strains of P. gingivalis tested degraded lactoferrin. The degradation was sensitive to protease inhibitors, cystatin C and albumin. The degradation by C. sputigena was not affected by the protease inhibitors and the detected lactoferrin fragments exhibited electrophoretic mobilities similar to those ascribed to deglycosylated forms of lactoferrin. Furthermore a weak or absent reactivity of these fragments with sialic acid-specific lectin suggested that they are desialylated. The present data indicate that certain bacteria colonizing the periodontal pocket can degrade lactoferrin. The presence of other human proteins as specific inhibitors and/or as substrate competitors may counteract this degradation process.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Microbiology, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.
authors.forename: K R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Alugupalli
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kalfas
mesh_terms: D016976:Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans / Q000378:metabolism; D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism*; D001439:Bacteroides / Q000378:metabolism; D002167:Campylobacter / Q000378:metabolism; D002206:Capnocytophaga / Q000378:metabolism; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D016967:Fusobacterium nucleatum / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007460:Iodoacetamide / Q000494:pharmacology; D007781:Lactoferrin / Q000378:metabolism*; D007976:Leupeptins / Q000494:pharmacology; D010462:Peptostreptococcus / Q000378:metabolism; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology*; D010664:Phenylmethylsulfonyl Fluoride / Q000494:pharmacology; D016966:Porphyromonas gingivalis / Q000378:metabolism; D018713:Prevotella intermedia / Q000378:metabolism; D015842:Serine Proteinase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D014107:Tosyllysine Chloromethyl Ketone / Q000494:pharmacology; D014108:Tosylphenylalanyl Chloromethyl Ketone / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D007976:Leupeptins; D015842:Serine Proteinase Inhibitors; D014107:Tosyllysine Chloromethyl Ketone; D014108:Tosylphenylalanyl Chloromethyl Ketone; D010664:Phenylmethylsulfonyl Fluoride; D007781:Lactoferrin; C032854:leupeptin; D007460:Iodoacetamide