title: Functional Advantages of Porphyromonas gingivalis Vesicles.
abstract: Porphyromonas gingivalis is a keystone pathogen of periodontitis. Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) have been considered as both offense and defense components of this bacterium. Previous studies indicated that like their originating cells, P. gingivalis vesicles, are able to invade oral epithelial cells and gingival fibroblasts, in order to promote aggregation of some specific oral bacteria and to induce host immune responses. In the present study, we investigated the invasive efficiency of P. gingivalis OMVs and compared results with that of the originating cells. Results revealed that 70-90% of human primary oral epithelial cells, gingival fibroblasts, and human umbilical vein endothelial cells carried vesicles from P. gingivalis 33277 after being exposed to the vesicles for 1 h, while 20-50% of the host cells had internalized P. gingivalis cells. We also detected vesicle-associated DNA and RNA and a vesicle-mediated horizontal gene transfer in P. gingivalis strains, which represents a novel mechanism for gene transfer between P. gingivalis strains. Moreover, purified vesicles of P. gingivalis appear to have a negative impact on biofilm formation and the maintenance of Streptococcus gordonii. Our results suggest that vesicles are likely the best offence weapon of P. gingivalis for bacterial survival in the oral cavity and for induction of periodontitis.
authors.affiliation: School of Dentistry, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America.
authors.forename: Meng-Hsuan
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America.
authors.forename: Chin-Ho
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Cancer Biology, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America.
authors.forename: J Shawn
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Goodwin
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontics, School of Dentistry, University of Texas, Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, United States of America.
authors.forename: Bing-Yan
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: School of Dentistry, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America.
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xie
mesh_terms: D016866:Bacteroidaceae Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D018441:Biofilms; D002462:Cell Membrane; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D000067128:Extracellular Vesicles / Q000502:physiology; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000382:microbiology / Q000502:physiology; D022761:Gene Transfer, Horizontal; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D061307:Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells / Q000382:microbiology / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000382:microbiology / Q000502:physiology; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000382:microbiology; D016966:Porphyromonas gingivalis / Q000502:physiology*