Comprehensive analysis of fusobacterial coaggregation factors associating with subgingival plaque formation

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K17028
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 57020:Oral pathobiological science-related
• Research Institution: Kagawa University
• Principal Investigator: Tada Ayano 香川大学, 医学部, 助教 (80779463)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: F. nucleaetum / 共凝集 / バイオフィルム

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Fusobacterium nucleatum plays an important role in oral biofilm formation by coaggregating with diverse oral microbes. We prepared VHH antibody to outer membrane protein FadA of F. nucleatum and used for pull-down assay to identify the oral bacteria that coaggregate with this oral anaerobe. The results showed that F. nucleatum preferentially aggregates with Actinomyces naeslandii. In addition, we found that the cell-free culture supernatant of A. naesulandii enhances the coaggregative property of F. nucleatum and this effect was not observed when paraformaldehyde-fixed F. nucleatum. These results indicate that F. nucleatum alter its coaggregative property in response to the signaling molecules produced from oral microbiota.

Free Research Field

口腔細菌

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

F. nucleatumは歯周病関連細菌であり、単独でのバイオフィルム形成能は低いが、多様な口腔細菌と共凝集することで強固で複雑な口腔バイオフィルム形成と成熟に重要な役割を果たしている。また、F. nucleatumは大腸癌など様々な全身疾患との関連性が報告され、注目されている。しかしながら、本菌種がどのように他の口腔内細菌を認識し、自己の凝集能を制御しているのか、そのメカニズムは解明されていない。本研究によるF. nucleatumの共凝集の分子メカニズムの解明は新たな歯周疾患の治療および予防法の開発に多大な情報を与えるものである。