title: Stick to your gums: mechanisms of oral microbial adherence.
abstract: Studies on the adherence properties of oral bacteria have been a major focus in microbiology research for several decades. The ability of bacteria to adhere to the variety of surfaces present in the oral cavity, and to become integrated within the resident microbial communities, confers growth and survival properties. Molecular analyses have revealed several families of Gram-positive bacterial surface proteins, including serine-rich repeat, antigen I/II, and pilus families, that mediate adherence to a variety of salivary and oral bacterial receptors. In Gram-negative bacteria, pili, auto-transporters, and extracellular matrix-binding proteins provide components for host tissue recognition and building of complex microbial communities. Future studies will reveal in greater detail the binding pockets for these adhesin families and their receptors. This information will be crucial for the development of new inhibitors or vaccines that target the functional regions of bacterial proteins that are involved in colonization and pathogenesis.
authors.affiliation: School of Oral and Dental Sciences, University of Bristol, Lower Maudlin Street, Bristol BS1 2LY, UK.
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Nobbs
authors.forename: H F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Jenkinson
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Jakubovics
mesh_terms: D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion / Q000502:physiology*; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D044622:Dental Pellicle / Q000382:microbiology*; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000502:physiology; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D054892:Metagenome / Q000502:physiology; D056265:Microbial Interactions / Q000502:physiology; D011485:Protein Binding; D012471:Salivary Proteins and Peptides / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D012471:Salivary Proteins and Peptides