Abstract
The mouth environment comprises the second most significant microbiome in the body, and its equilibrium is critical in oral health. Secretory calcium-binding phosphoprotein proline-glutamine rich 1 (SCPPPQ1), a protein normally produced by the gingival epithelium to mediate its attachment to teeth, was suggested to be bactericidal. Our aim was to further explore the antibacterial potential of human SCPPPQ1 by characterizing its mode of action and identifying its active portions. In silico analysis showed that it has molecular parallels with antimicrobial peptides. Incubation of Porphyromonasgingivalis, a major periodontopathogen, with the full-length protein resulted in decrease in bacterial number, formation of aggregates and membrane disruptions. Analysis of SCPPPQ1-derived peptides indicated that these effects are sustained by specific regions of the molecule. Altogether, these data suggest that human SCPPPQ1 exhibits antibacterial capacity and provide new insight into its mechanism of action.
Highlights
The mouth environment comprises the second most significant microbiome in the body, and its equilibrium is critical in oral health
The oral microbiome is the second most important in humans after that of the gut[1]. It comprises about 700 varieties of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, viruses and protozoa, with bacteria constituting the main inhabitants[2]. This complex microbiome is important in maintaining oral health; loss of its delicate equilibrium due to the propagation of specific periodontal pathogens can lead to periodontal diseases (PD), an inflammatory condition affecting the tooth supporting tissues
Our data demonstrates that human SCPPPQ1 exhibits parallels with antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and is able to decrease the bacterial populations by aggregating bacteria and disrupting their membrane
Summary
The mouth environment comprises the second most significant microbiome in the body, and its equilibrium is critical in oral health. The oral microbiome is the second most important in humans after that of the gut[1] It comprises about 700 varieties of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, viruses and protozoa, with bacteria constituting the main inhabitants[2]. This complex microbiome is important in maintaining oral health; loss of its delicate equilibrium due to the propagation of specific periodontal pathogens can lead to periodontal diseases (PD), an inflammatory condition affecting the tooth supporting tissues. Our data demonstrates that human SCPPPQ1 exhibits parallels with antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and is able to decrease the bacterial populations by aggregating bacteria and disrupting their membrane
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