Gene expression in Porphyromonas gingivalis after contact with human epithelial cells.
Porphyromonas gingivalis, a gram-negative oral anaerobe, is strongly associated with adult periodontitis. The adherence of the organism to host epithelium signals changes in both cell types as bacteria initiate infection and colonization and epithelial cells rally their defenses. We hypothesized that the expression of a defined set of P. gingivalis genes would be consistently up-regulated during infection of HEp-2 human epithelial cells. P. gingivalis genome microarrays were used to compare the gene expression profiles of bacteria that adhered to HEp-2 cells and bacteria that were incubated alone. Genes whose expression was temporally up-regulated included those involved in the oxidative stress response and those encoding heat shock proteins that are essential to maintaining cell viability under adverse conditions. The results suggest that contact with epithelial cells induces in P. gingivalis stress-responsive pathways that promote the survival of the bacterium.
Hosogi
Yumiko
Y
Department of Molecular Genetics, The Forsyth Institute, 140 Fenway, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Duncan
Margaret J
MJ
D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D016966:Porphyromonas gingivalis / Q000235:genetics*; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide