Fusobacterium nucleatum regulation of neutrophil transcription.
OBJECTIVE
Abnormal neutrophil responses have been observed in periodontitis patients, including hyper-reactivity in terms of production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) following exposure to the key quorum-sensing plaque bacterium, Fusobacterium nucleatum. This study was designed to characterize the transcriptional response of neutrophils to F. nucleatum.


METHODS
Peripheral blood neutrophils were exposed to F. nucleatum, and gene expression was analysed using high-throughput transcriptomics.


RESULTS
Microarray technology demonstrated differential expression of 208 genes (163 increased and 43 decreased relative to control genes), which identified regulation of several ontological classes, including signal transduction (13%), transcription regulation (7%) and ROS response (14%). Individual gene expression analysis of selected transcripts, including CSF, CXCL3, FOS, HMOX1, HSP40, SOD2, NFKB2 and GP91, in individual and pooled RNA samples from control and F. nucleatum-exposed neutrophils corroborated microarray data. Analysis of ROS generation, combined with transcript analysis, in response to a panel of proinflammatory stimuli (F. nucleatum, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide and opsonized Staphylococcus aureus) identified significant differences in ROS and transcript regulatory control. Further analyses of neutrophils from periodontitis patients and periodontally healthy control subjects stimulated with F. nucleatum indicated significant differential induction of several ROS response-related transcripts.


CONCLUSIONS
These data demonstrate that neutrophils are transcriptionally active in response to the periodontal pathogen F. nucleatum and that these changes in gene expression are likely to affect neutrophil function. The differential response of neutrophils to a range of stimuli combined with data demonstrating differences between patient and control neutrophils indicate the importance of this cell and its interaction with the local tissue environment in the pathogenesis of periodontitis.
Wright
H J
HJ
Periodontal Research Group, School of Dentistry, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
Chapple
I L C
IL
Matthews
J B
JB
Cooper
P R
PR
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D055113:Chronic Periodontitis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D016967:Fusobacterium nucleatum / Q000502:physiology*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D050956:HSP40 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D051547:Heme Oxygenase-1 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018375:Neutrophil Activation / Q000235:genetics*; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
D016207:Cytokines; D050956:HSP40 Heat-Shock Proteins; D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; C496541:HMOX1 protein, human; D051547:Heme Oxygenase-1