title: Kinetics of coaggregation of Porphyromonas gingivalis with Fusobacterium nucleatum using an automated microtiter plate assay.
abstract: Coaggregation between Porphyromonas gingivalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum strains was previously studied using either a semi-quantitative macroscopic assay or radioactive tracer assays. A new automated microtiter plate assay is introduced, in which the plate reader (Vmax) was adapted to allow quantitative evaluation of the kinetics of coaggregation. F nucleatum PK 1594 coaggregated with P. gingivalis HG 405 with a maximal coaggregation rate of 1.05 mOD/min, which occurred at a P. gingivalis to F. nucleatum cell ratio of 1 to 2. F. nucleatum PK 1594 failed to do so with P. gingivalis strains A 7436 or ATCC 33277. Galactose inhibition of this coaggregation could be quantitatively measured over a wide range of concentrations to demonstrate its dose-dependent manner. P. gingivalis HG 405 failed to coaggregate with F. nucleatum strains ATCC 25586 and ATCC 49256. The assay used in the present study is a sensitive and efficient quantitative automated tool to study coaggregation and may replace tedious radioactive tracer assays.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endodontics, Dental Research Center, School of Dentistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Metzger
authors.forename: L G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Featherstone
authors.forename: W W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Ambrose
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Trope
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Arnold
mesh_terms: D001331:Automation; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D016967:Fusobacterium nucleatum / Q000145:classification / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D005690:Galactose / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D016966:Porphyromonas gingivalis / Q000145:classification / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D017186:Titrimetry
chemical_list: D005690:Galactose