The GroEL heat-shock protein from Fusobacterium nucleatum, a periodontopathogen, activates risk factors for atherosclerosis in human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC-1) and ApoE-/- mice. In this study, we analyzed the signaling pathways by which F. nucleatum GroEL induces the proinflammatory factors in HMEC-1 cells known to be risk factors associated with the development of atherosclerosis and identified the cellular receptor used by GroEL. The MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways were found to be activated by GroEL to induce the expression of interleukin- 8 (IL-8), monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP- 1), intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1), E-selectin, and tissue factor (TF). These effects were inhibited by a TLR4 knockdown. Our results thus indicate that TLR4 is a key receptor that mediates the interaction of F. nucleatum GroEL with HMEC-1 cells and subsequently induces an inflammatory response via the MAPK and NF-κB pathways.

MspTL is the major surface protein of Treponema lecithinolyticum associated with periodontitis and endodontic infections. Our recent investigation revealed that MspTL induces proinflammatory cytokines and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 in THP-1 cells and periodontal ligament cells. In this study we conducted oligonucleotide microarray analysis to investigate the global transcriptional regulation in THP-1 cells stimulated with purified recombinant MspTL. MspTL upregulated the expression of 90 genes in THP-1 cells at least four fold, and the functions of these genes were categorized into adhesion, apoptosis/antiapoptosis, cell cycle/growth/differentiation, chemotaxis, cytoskeleton organization, immune response, molecular metabolism, proteolysis, signaling, and transcription. The majority of the modified genes are known to be NF-κB-responsive and interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs). The expression of 12 selected genes was confirmed by real-time RT-PCR. Because prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is an important inflammatory mediator and Cox-2 was found to be induced by MspTL in the microarray analysis, we determined the level of PGE2 in the culture supernatants of MspTL-treated cells and found that MspTL significantly increased PGE2. Our results provide insight into the gene regulation of host cells in response to MspTL, and may contribute to the understanding of the molecular mechanism in periodontitis.

Treponema denticola is the best studied oral spirochete and numerous studies have shown that it is strongly associated with periodontitis and expresses several putative virulence factors. In this study, we report on a surface protein of T. denticola, Td92, which is homologous to Tp92 of Treponema pallidum, an agent of syphilis. Immunofluorescence assay and immunogold labeling with anti-Td92 Ab revealed that Td92 had surface-exposed epitopes. And Td92 was capable of binding to fibronectin and KB cells, an oral epithelial cell line. In addition, Td92 could enter the KB cells. These results indicate that Td92 is a fibronectin-binding protein which can bind to and internalize into the host cells, facilitating the virulence of T. denticola.