
pmid: 17363213
Tannerella forsythia is a Gram-negative oral anaerobe implicated in the development of periodontitis, a chronic inflammatory disease induced by bacterial infections which leads to tooth loss if untreated. Since biofilms formed by periodontal bacteria are considered important in disease progression and pose difficulties in treatment, we sought to investigate the underlying mechanisms of T. forsythia biofilm formation. This was carried out by screening random insertion mutants of T. forsythia for alterations in biofilm development. This approach lead to the identification of an operon involved in exopolysaccharide (EPS) synthesis. An isogenic mutant of one of the genes, wecC, contained within the operon was constructed. The isogenic wecC mutant showed increased ability to form biofilms as compared to the parent strain. The wecC mutant also formed aggregated microcolonies and showed increased cell-surface associated hydrophobicity as compared to the parent strain. Moreover, biochemical characterization of the wecC mutant indicated that glycosylation of surface glycoproteins was reduced. Therefore, our results suggest that the wecC operon is associated with glycosylation of surface-glycoprotein expression and likely plays an inhibitory role in T. forsythia biofilm formation.
Genomic Library, Glycosylation, Membrane Glycoproteins, Microscopy, Confocal, Time Factors, Bacteroidetes, Polysaccharides, Bacterial, Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial, Mutagenesis, Insertional, Phenotype, Biofilms, Gene Order, Mutation, Operon, Humans, RNA, Messenger, Periodontitis, Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions, DNA Primers
Genomic Library, Glycosylation, Membrane Glycoproteins, Microscopy, Confocal, Time Factors, Bacteroidetes, Polysaccharides, Bacterial, Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial, Mutagenesis, Insertional, Phenotype, Biofilms, Gene Order, Mutation, Operon, Humans, RNA, Messenger, Periodontitis, Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions, DNA Primers
| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 59 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Top 10% | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Top 10% | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Top 10% |
