title: The actin-bundling protein L-plastin: a novel local inflammatory marker associated with periodontitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  L-plastin, an actin-bundling protein, is exclusively expressed in leukocytes and plays a crucial role in immune-mediated events. Periodontitis is a common infectious inflammatory disease that destroys the tooth-supporting tissues. Recent findings using proteomic technologies have demonstrated that L-plastin is one of the few molecules consistently present in the inflammatory exudate of the gingiva in periodontal disease, but not in health. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate in detail the local and systemic role of this molecule in different forms of periodontitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 61 subjects who met the inclusion/exclusion criteria were recruited, including 21 with chronic periodontitis, 20 generalized aggressive periodontitis and 20 nonperiodontitis control subjects. Gingival tissue biopsies, gingival crevicular fluid, as well as serum and saliva, were obtained. Immunohistochemistry and quantitative real-time PCR were employed to evaluate the localization and mRNA expression, respectively, of L-plastin. L-plastin levels in gingival crevicular fluid, saliva and serum were measured using ELISA. Statistical analysis was performed using nonparametric methods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Subjects with chronic periodontitis and generalized aggressive periodontitis exhibited significantly higher tissue L-plastin gene expression and gingival crevicular fluid levels than did subjects in the control group but there was no significant difference between the two forms of periodontitis. Within gingival tissue, L-plastin was confined to the inflammatory infiltrate. There was no statistically significant difference between serum and salivary L-plastin levels among the three study groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The elevated gingival tissue expression and gingival crevicular fluid levels of L-plastin in both forms of periodontitis may denote the localized involvement of this novel molecule in the pathogenesis of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Oral Translational Research, Institute of Oral Biology, Center of Dental Medicine, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland; Department of Periodontology, School of Dentistry, Ege University, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: V Ö
authors.initials: VÖ
authors.lastname: Öztürk
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Emingil
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Osterwalder
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bostanci
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D010520:Aggressive Periodontitis / Q000276:immunology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D055113:Chronic Periodontitis / Q000276:immunology; D003238:Connective Tissue / Q000276:immunology; D003774:Dental Plaque Index; D005260:Female; D005881:Gingiva / Q000276:immunology; D005883:Gingival Crevicular Fluid / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008840:Microfilament Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D017622:Periodontal Attachment Loss / Q000276:immunology; D010512:Periodontal Index; D010514:Periodontal Pocket / Q000276:immunology; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000276:immunology*; D010519:Periodontium / Q000276:immunology; D012463:Saliva / Q000276:immunology; D012907:Smoking; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C047262:LCP1 protein, human; D008840:Microfilament Proteins
keywords: L-plastin; gingiva; gingival crevicular fluid; inflammation; periodontitis; saliva; serum