The mechanism of periodontal tissue destruction by proteases from periodontal bacteria Porpyromonas gingivalis.

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K11668
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Pathobiological dentistry/Dental radiology
• Research Institution: Okayama University
• Principal Investigator: Nakayama Masaaki 岡山大学, 医歯薬学域, 助教 (10579105)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 大森 一弘 岡山大学, 大学病院, 講師 (20549860) ; 後藤 和義 岡山大学, 医歯薬学域, 助教 (20626593) ; 大原 直也 岡山大学, 医歯薬学域, 教授 (70223930)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 歯周病菌 / 歯周炎 / ジンジパイン / 炎症応答 / 細胞内シグナル伝達

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study is to reveal the molecular mechanism of infection between periodontal pathogenic bacteria and host cells using cellular and molecular biological approaches, and to analyze the function of pathogenic proteases produced by periodontal pathogenic bacteria to clarify the pathogenesis of periodontal disease. In this study, we focused on gingipains, which are cysteine proteases, produced by Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis), to elucidate the pathogenesis of periodontal disease infected with P. gingivalis. We examined the host cell response to the molecular mechanism of COX-2 expression by gingipains and showed that activation of two signaling pathways, ERK and IKK, and found that intracellular calcium is required for COX-2 expression and PGE2 production as the upstream factors.

Free Research Field

口腔微生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は歯周病細菌が産生するプロテアーゼが炎症を誘導する因子であることを示す研究である。それを明らかにできれば、プロテアーゼを産生する口腔細菌が歯周病に関与する重要な細菌であることがわかり、プロテアーゼ産生細菌を増やさないようにすることが歯周病予防に努める指標となると思われる。