Genetic polymorphisms of the sortase A gene and social-behavioural factors associated with caries in children: a case-control study.
BACKGROUND
Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) is the primary etiological agent of dental caries. Sortase is a transpeptidase that anchors several surface proteins to the S. mutans cell wall and has been shown to play a major role in cariogenicity. The purpose of this study was to explore the genetic polymorphisms of the sortase gene (srtA) and the social-behavioural factors associated with dental caries in children with S. mutans.


METHODS
In this case-control study, 121 S. mutans strains were separately selected from caries-free children and high-severity caries children for sequencing of the srtA gene. Social and behavioural data were collected by self-administered questionnaires. Genomic DNA was extracted from S. mutans strains and amplified by PCR to obtain the srtA gene. The purified PCR products were sequenced and analysed for mutations with ABI Variant Reporter software. The distribution of missense mutations and the mean of social-behavioural factors were compared between the groups. A multiple logistic regression model was used to control for confounding factors.


RESULTS
The mutation frequencies at loci 168 (P = 0.023) and 470 (P = 0.032) were significantly different between the groups. The best-fitting model showed that greater age, high frequencies of solid sugar consumption, prolonged breastfeeding, a high proportion of visible plaque, and S. mutans with a T at locus 168 of the srtA gene were associated with high-severity caries in children (P < 0.05). Children carrying a G at locus 168 of S. mutans had a decreased risk for high-severity caries (OR = 0.32, 95% CI = 0.12-0.86) compared with those carrying a T.


CONCLUSIONS
The present study suggested that the locus 168 missense mutation of the srtA gene may correlate with caries susceptibility in children with S. mutans. In addition, age, duration of breastfeeding, solid sugar consumption, and poor oral hygiene contributed to this complex disease.
Department of Preventive Dentistry, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-Sen University, 56 Ling Yuan Road West, Guangzhou, China. Yuu_LX@163.com.|Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China. Yuu_LX@163.com.
Li Xia
LX
Yu
Department of Preventive Dentistry, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-Sen University, 56 Ling Yuan Road West, Guangzhou, China. taoye18@aliyun.com.|Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China. taoye18@aliyun.com.
Ye
Y
Tao
Department of Preventive Dentistry, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-Sen University, 56 Ling Yuan Road West, Guangzhou, China. rongminqiu@hotmail.com.|Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China. rongminqiu@hotmail.com.
Rong Min
RM
Qiu
Department of Preventive Dentistry, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-Sen University, 56 Ling Yuan Road West, Guangzhou, China. zhouy10.3@163.net.|Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China. zhouy10.3@163.net.
Yan
Y
Zhou
Department of Preventive Dentistry, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-Sen University, 56 Ling Yuan Road West, Guangzhou, China. zhiqinghui@hotmail.com.|Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China. zhiqinghui@hotmail.com.
Qing Hui
QH
Zhi
Department of Preventive Dentistry, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-Sen University, 56 Ling Yuan Road West, Guangzhou, China. lin_hc@163.net.|Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China. lin_hc@163.net.
Huan Cai
HC
Lin
D019881:Aminoacyltransferases / Q000235:genetics*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D001942:Breast Feeding; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002652:Child Behavior; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases / Q000235:genetics*; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000382:microbiology*; D003733:Dental Caries Susceptibility / Q000235:genetics; D003774:Dental Plaque Index; D019422:Dietary Sucrose / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D006147:Guanine; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D020125:Mutation, Missense / Q000235:genetics; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D010457:Peptidoglycan / Q000235:genetics*; D017354:Point Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D013941:Thymine
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D019422:Dietary Sucrose; D010457:Peptidoglycan; D006147:Guanine; D019881:Aminoacyltransferases; C120542:sortase A; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; D013941:Thymine