Mechanisms underlying the deficiency of oral immunity and its effect on systemic organ network

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K15252
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Experimental pathology
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Komatsu Noriko 東京大学, 大学院医学系研究科(医学部), 助教 (20553358)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 口腔免疫 / 骨破壊 / T細胞

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Oral cavity harbors unique oral microbiota and immune system. In periodontitis, infection of pathogenic bacteria disturbs the homeostasis of oral microbiota, which eventually results in the loss of bone that is important for supporting teeth. However, the mechanism of bone loss in periodontitis has not been fully understood. In this study, we found that a novel arthritogenic T cell subset which we identified previously turned out to be the most potent bone-damaging T cells in periodontitis. Interestingly, the bone-damaging T cells contribute to the host defense by regulating the quality and quantity of oral microbiota. We identified several molecules that are specifically expressed in the bone-damaging T cells, which will contribute to establish the methods to regulate immunological association between oral cavity and remote organs by modulating local tissue destruction and the systemic host defense.

Free Research Field

免疫学