title: Identification of a new variant of fimA gene of Porphyromonas gingivalis and its distribution in adults and disabled populations with periodontitis.
abstract: Porphyromonas gingivalis fimbriae are critical for the promotion of bacterial infection. The fimA gene encoding fimbrillin, a subunit of fimbriae, has been classified into five genotypes (types I to V) based on their nucleotide sequences. Using a fimA type-specific PCR assay, our previous study demonstrated a close relationship between P. gingivalis possessing type II and type IV fimA genes and adult periodontitis. In that study, some clinical specimens were found to be positive for both types I- and II- fimA specific primers, likely due to the coexistence of two clonal types or a single clone of an unknown genotype in the samples. In the present study, we cloned a new variant of the fimA gene, designated as type Ib fimA, from P. gingivalis HG1691. The nucleotide sequence of the cloned fimA gene showed a 97.1% homology with that of type I fimA, indicating it as a clonal variant of type I fimA. Organisms with type Ib fimA were detected in 13.5% of periodontitis patients and in 2.9% of periodontal healthy adults. Statistical analysis revealed a strong relationship between periodontitis and specific fimA types such as type Ib [odds ratio (OR) 6.51], type II (OR 77.8), and type IV (OR 7.54). Moreover, type Ib fimA-organisms were also found to be related to periodontitis in Down's syndrome (OR 1.91) and mentally disabled populations (OR 4.00). These findings suggest that P. gingivalis with type Ib fimA is closely associated with the progression of periodontitis, similar to organisms with type II and IV fimA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Microbiology, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Suita-Osaka, Japan. ichiro@dent.osaka-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nakagawa
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Amano
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ohara-Nemoto
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Endoh
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Morisaki
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kawabata
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hamada
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001483:Base Sequence; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002999:Clone Cells; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000382:microbiology; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000382:microbiology*; D019989:Persons with Intellectual Disabilities; D018933:Pili, Sex / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D016966:Porphyromonas gingivalis / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
chemical_list: C063055:fimbrillin; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins