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Porphyromonas gulae is an anaerobic, Gram-negative coccobacillus that has been associated with periodontal disease in companion animals. The aims of this study were to analyze the ligation of pattern recognition receptors by P. gulae and the subsequent activation of macrophages. Exposure of HEK cells transfected with Toll-like receptors (TLRs) or NOD-like receptors to P. gulae resulted in the ligation of TLR2, TLR4, and NOD2. The effects of this engagement of receptors were investigated by measuring the synthesis of nitric oxide (NO), CD86 expression, and inflammatory cytokine production by wild-type, TLR2 -/- , and TLR4 -/- macrophages. The addition of P. gulae to unprimed and gamma interferon (IFN-γ)-primed (M1 phenotype) macrophages significantly increased the surface expression of CD86, but only M1 macrophages produced nitric oxide. P. gulae- induced expression of CD86 on unprimed macrophages was dependent on both TLR2 and TLR4, but CD86 expression and NO production in M1 macrophages were only TLR2 dependent. P. gulae induced an increase in secretion of interleukin-1α (IL-1α), IL-1β, IL-6, IL-12p70, IL-13, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), and macrophage inflammatory protein 1α (MIP-1α) by M1 macrophages compared to that by unprimed controls. Among these cytokines, secretion of IL-6 and TNF-α by M1 macrophages was dependent on either TLR2 or TLR4. Our data indicate that TLR2 and TLR4 are important for P. gulae activation of unprimed macrophages and that activation and effector functions induced in M1 macrophages by P. gulae are mainly dependent on TLR2. In conclusion, P. gulae induces a strong TLR2-dependent inflammatory M1 macrophage response which may be important in establishing the chronic inflammation associated with periodontal disease in companion animals., (Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.)

Periodontitis is a significant problem in companion animals, and yet little is known about the disease-associated microbiota. A major virulence factor for the human periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis is the lysyl- and arginyl-specific proteolytic activity of the gingipains. We screened several Porphyromonas species isolated from companion animals-P. asaccharolytica, P. circumdentaria, P. endodontalis, P. levii, P. gulae, P. macacae, P. catoniae, and P. salivosa-for Lys- and Arg-specific proteolytic activity and compared the epithelial and macrophage responses and induction of alveolar bone resorption of the protease active species to that of Porphyromonas gingivalis Only P. gulae exhibited Lys-and Arg-specific proteolytic activity. The genes encoding the gingipains (RgpA/B and Kgp) were identified in the P. gulae strain ATCC 51700 and all publicly available 12 draft genomes of P. gulae strains. P. gulae ATCC 51700 induced levels of alveolar bone resorption in an animal model of periodontitis similar to those in P. gingivalis W50 and exhibited a higher capacity for autoaggregation and binding to oral epithelial cells with induction of apoptosis. Macrophages (RAW 264.7) were found to phagocytose P. gulae ATCC 51700 and the fimbriated P. gingivalis ATCC 33277 at similar levels. In response to P. gulae ATCC 51700, macrophages secreted higher levels of cytokines than those induced by P. gingivalis ATCC 33277 but lower than those induced by P. gingivalis W50, except for the interleukin-6 response. Our results indicate that P. gulae exhibits virulence characteristics similar to those of the human periodontal pathogen P. gingivalis and therefore may play a key role in the development of periodontitis in companion animals., (Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.)

Phagocytosis of pathogens is an important component of the innate immune system that is responsible for the removal and degradation of bacteria as well as their presentation via the major histocompatibility complexes to the adaptive immune system. The periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis exhibits strain heterogeneity, which may affect a phagocyte's ability to recognize and phagocytose the bacterium. In addition, P. gingivalis is reported to avoid phagocytosis by antibody and complement degradation and by invading phagocytic cells. Previous studies examining phagocytosis have been confounded by both the techniques employed and the potential of the bacteria to invade the cells. In this study, we used a novel, pH-sensitive dye, pHrodo, to label live P. gingivalis strains and examine unopsonized phagocytosis by murine macrophages and neutrophils and human monocytic cells. All host cells examined were able to recognize and phagocytose unopsonized P. gingivalis strains. Macrophages had a preference to phagocytose P. gingivalis strain ATCC 33277 over other strains and clinical isolates in the study, whereas neutrophils favored P. gingivalis W50, ATCC 33277, and one clinical isolate over the other strains. This study revealed that all P. gingivalis strains were capable of being phagocytosed without prior opsonization with antibody or complement., (Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.)

Porphyromonas gingivalis is associated with chronic periodontitis, an inflammatory disease of the tooth's supporting tissues. Macrophages are important in chronic inflammatory conditions, infiltrating tissue and becoming polarized to an M1 or M2 phenotype. As responses to stimuli differ between these phenotypes, we investigated the effect of P. gingivalis lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on M1 and M2 macrophages. M1 and M2 polarized macrophages were produced from murine bone marrow macrophages (BMMϕ) primed with gamma interferon (IFN-γ) or interleukin-4 (IL-4), respectively, and incubated with a low or high dose of P. gingivalis LPS or control TLR2 and TLR4 ligands. In M1-Mϕ, the high dose of P. gingivalis LPS (10 μg/ml) significantly increased the expression of CD40, CD86, inducible nitric oxide synthase, and nitric oxide secretion. The low dose of P. gingivalis LPS (10 ng/ml) did not induce costimulatory or antibacterial molecules but did increase the secretion of IL-1α, IL-6, IL-12p40, IL-12p70, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). P. gingivalis LPS marginally increased the expression of CD206 and YM-1, but it did enhance arginase expression by M2-Mϕ. Furthermore, the secretion of the chemokines KC, RANTES, eotaxin, and MCP-1 from M1, M2, and nonpolarized Mϕ was enhanced by P. gingivalis LPS. TLR2/4 knockout macrophages combined with the TLR activation assays indicated that TLR2 is the main activating receptor for P. gingivalis LPS and whole cells. In conclusion, although P. gingivalis LPS weakly activated M1-Mϕ or M2-Mϕ compared to control TLR ligands, it induced the secretion of inflammatory cytokines, particularly TNF-α from M1-Mϕ and IL-10 from M2-Mϕ, as well as chemotactic chemokines from polarized macrophages., (Copyright © 2014, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.)

The tissue destruction seen in chronic periodontitis is commonly accepted to involve extensive upregulation of the host inflammatory response. Protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR-2)-null mice infected with Porphyromonas gingivalis did not display periodontal bone resorption in contrast to wild-type-infected and PAR-1-null-infected mice. Histological examination of tissues confirmed the lowered bone resorption in PAR-2-null mice and identified a substantial decrease in mast cells infiltrating the periodontal tissues of these mice. T cells from P. gingivalis-infected or immunized PAR-2-null mice proliferated less in response to antigen than those from wild-type animals. CD90 (Thy1.2) expression on CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cell-receptor beta (TCRbeta) T cells was significantly (P < 0.001) decreased in antigen-immunized PAR-2-null mice compared to sham-immunized PAR-2-null mice; this was not observed in wild-type controls. T cells from infected or antigen-immunized PAR-2-null mice had a significantly different Th1/inflammatory cytokine profile from wild-type cells: in particular, gamma interferon, interleukins (interleukin-2, -3, and -17), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, and tumor necrosis factor alpha demonstrated lower expression than wild-type controls. The absence of PAR-2 therefore appears to substantially decrease T-cell activation and the Th1/inflammatory response. Regulation of such proinflammatory mechanisms in T cells and mast cells by PAR-2 suggests a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of the disease.

The RgpA-Kgp proteinase-adhesin complexes are a primary virulence factor of Porphyromonas gingivalis, a major pathogen in the development of chronic periodontitis. The RgpA-Kgp complexes have been suggested to bias the immune response to a Th2 phenotype in disease by hydrolysis of Th1 cytokines. Here, we show that the RgpA-Kgp complexes hydrolyze and inactivate interleukin-4 (IL-4) and IL-5 under physiologically relevant conditions. Using the IL-4/IL-5-dependent TF1.8 T-cell line, it was found that at equimolar ratios of cytokine to RgpA-Kgp complexes, IL-4 and IL-5 were inactivated in the culture medium. The inactivation of IL-4 and IL-5 was RgpA-Kgp concentration dependent, as at an enzyme-to-cytokine molar ratio of 1:8, the bioactivity of the cytokines was greater than at the higher concentration of RgpA-Kgp of 1:1. Furthermore, inactivation of the cytokines by the RgpA-Kgp complexes was time dependent, as longer preincubation times resulted in lower cytokine activity. IL-5 was found to be slightly more resistant to inactivation than IL-4. Mass spectrometric analyses of IL-4 and IL-5 showed that hydrolysis by RgpA-Kgp complexes was C terminal to Arg and Lys residues of the cytokines. The peptides released indicated that the regions of IL-4 and IL-5 important for bioactivity were being hydrolyzed in the first 15 min of incubation. The ability of the RgpA-Kgp complexes to degrade Th2 cytokines may contribute to immune dysregulation and may play a role in the pathology of chronic periodontitis.

The RgpA-Kgp proteinase-adhesin complexes of Porphyromonas gingivalis were observed, using immunostaining, in human gingival tissue associated with periodontitis but not in healthy tissue. The staining pattern suggested a concentration gradient from the subgingival plaque into the subjacent gingival connective tissue. Intense immunostaining was observed in areas displaying gross disturbance of tissue architecture. P. gingivalis cells and the RgpA-Kgp complexes at low concentrations were shown to stimulate secretory intercellular adhesion molecule 1, interleukin-8 (IL-8), IL-6, and macrophage chemoattractant protein secretion from cultured human epithelial (KB) and fibroblast (MRC-5) cells. However, at high concentrations a reduction in the level of these mediators was observed. In contrast, macrophage inflammatory protein 1alpha and IL-1alpha were stimulated only at high P. gingivalis cell concentrations. P. gingivalis cells and the RgpA-Kgp complexes were shown to induce apoptosis in KB and MRC-5 cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. These data suggest that the RgpA-Kgp complexes penetrate the gingival connective tissue; at low concentrations distal from the plaque the complexes stimulate the secretion of proinflammatory mediators, while at high concentrations proximal to the plaque they induce apoptosis and attenuate the secretion of proinflammatory mediators.

By using fluorescence microscopy, fluorescently labeled Porphyromonas gingivalis W50 was shown to adhere to oral epithelial (KB) cells as discrete cells or small cell aggregates, whereas P. gingivalis ATCC 33277 bound as large cell aggregates. Flow cytometric analysis showed that for P. gingivalis W50 there was a logarithmic relationship between the bacterial cell ratio (BCR), that is the number of bacterial cells to KB cells, and the percentage of KB cells with W50 cells attached. This percentage of KB cells with W50 attached reached a plateau of approximately 84% cells at a BCR of 500:1. In contrast, a quadratic relationship was observed between BCR and the percentage of KB cells with P. gingivalis ATCC 33277 attached, reaching a maximum of 47% at a BCR of 100:1 but decreasing to 7% at a BCR of 1,000:1. The lower binding of ATCC 33277 at high cell concentrations was attributed to autoaggregation. P. gingivalis W50 cells treated with an inhibitor (Nalpha-p-tosyl-L-lysine chloromethyl ketone [TLCK]) of its RgpA-Kgp proteinase-adhesin complex exhibited significantly reduced binding to KB cells than to untreated cells, suggesting a role for proteinase activity in binding to KB cells. Competitive inhibition with purified proteinase-active and TLCK-inactivated RgpA-Kgp complex significantly decreased the adherence of P. gingivalis W50 cells to KB cells. Furthermore, isogenic mutants of P. gingivalis W50 lacking the kgp gene product, but not the rgpA or rgpB gene products, exhibited significantly decreased adherence to KB cells compared to the wild type.

The contributions of three proteinase genes (rgpA, rgpB, and kgp) to the virulence of Porphyromonas gingivalis W50 were investigated in the murine periodontitis model. Mice were orally inoculated with eight doses (1 x 10(10) cells per dose) of rgpA, rgpB, kgp, rgpA rgpB, or rgpA rgpB kgp isogenic mutants, and the level of alveolar bone loss, immune response induced, and number of bacterial cells per half maxilla were compared with those of animals inoculated with wild-type P. gingivalis. The kgp, rgpB, rgpA rgpB, and rgpA rgpB kgp isogenic mutants induced significantly (P < 0.05) less bone loss than the rgpA isogenic mutant and the wild type did, and the virulence of the rgpA isogenic mutant and the wild type were not significantly different. Mice inoculated with the wild type or the rgpA isogenic mutant exhibited significantly (P < 0.01) more P. gingivalis cells per half maxilla than mice inoculated with rgpB, kgp, rgpA rgpB, and rgpA rgpB kgp isogenic mutants or nonchallenged mice did, as determined using real-time PCR. A significant positive correlation was found between the number of P. gingivalis cells detected per half maxilla and the amount of alveolar bone loss induced. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay results showed that each isogenic mutant and the wild type induced a predominant P. gingivalis antigen-specific immunoglobulin G3 (IgG3) response. Furthermore, the kgp and rgpA rgpB kgp isogenic mutants induced significantly (P < 0.05) lower IgG3 antibody responses than the responses induced by the wild type or the rgpA, rgpB, and rgpA rgpB isogenic mutants. The results suggest that the order in which the proteinases contribute to the virulence of P. gingivalis in the murine periodontitis model is Kgp > or = RgpB >> RgpA.

A major virulence factor of Porphyromonas gingivalis is the extracellular noncovalently associated complexes of Arg-X- and Lys-X-specific cysteine proteinases and adhesins designated the RgpA-Kgp complexes. In this study we investigated the ability of RgpA-Kgp as an immunogen to protect against P. gingivalis-induced periodontal bone loss in the rat. Specific-pathogen-free Sprague-Dawley rats were immunized with either formalin-killed whole P. gingivalis ATCC 33277 cells with incomplete Freund's adjuvant, RgpA-Kgp with incomplete Freund's adjuvant, or incomplete Freund's adjuvant alone. The animals were then challenged by oral inoculation with live P. gingivalis ATCC 33277 cells. Marked periodontal bone loss was observed in animals immunized with incomplete Freund's adjuvant alone; this bone loss was significantly (P < 0.05) greater than that detected in animals immunized with formalin-killed whole cells or RgpA-Kgp or in unchallenged animals. There was no significant difference in periodontal bone loss between animals immunized with formalin-killed whole cells and those immunized with RgpA-Kgp. The bone loss in these animals was also not significantly different from that in unchallenged animals. DNA probe analysis of subgingival plaque samples showed that 100% of the animals immunized with incomplete Freund's adjuvant alone and challenged with P. gingivalis ATCC 33277 were positive for the bacterium. However, P. gingivalis ATCC 33277 could not be detected in subgingival plaque samples from animals immunized with formalin-killed whole cells or with RgpA-Kgp. Immunization with formalin-killed whole cells or RgpA-Kgp induced a high-titer serum immunoglobulin G2a response. Western blot analysis of RgpA-Kgp using pooled protective antisera taken from rats immunized with RgpA-Kgp revealed immunodominant bands at 44, 39, and 27 kDa. In conclusion, immunization with RgpA-Kgp restricted colonization by P. gingivalis and periodontal bone loss in the rat.

Extracellular Arg-x- and Lys-x-specific cysteine proteinases are considered important virulence factors and pathogenic markers for Porphyromonas gingivalis, a bacterium implicated as a major etiological agent of chronic periodontitis. Three genes. rgpA, rgpB, and kgp, encode an Arg-x-specific proteinase and adhesins (RgpA), an Arg-x-specific proteinase (RgpB), and a Lys-x-specific proteinase and adhesins (Kgp), respectively. The contribution to pathogenicity of each of the proteinase genes of P. gingivalis W50 was investigated in a murine lesion model using isogenic mutants lacking RgpA, RgpB, and Kgp. Whole-cell Arg-x-specific proteolytic activity of both the RgpA(-) and RgpB(-) isogenic mutants was significantly reduced (3- to 4-fold) relative to that of the wild-type W50. However, for the Kgp(-) isogenic mutant, whole-cell Arg-x activity was similar to that of the wild-type strain. Whole-cell Lys-x proteolytic activity of the RgpA(-) and RgpB(-) mutants was not significantly different from that of wild-type W50, whereas the Kgp(-) mutant was devoid of Lys-x whole-cell proteolytic activity. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blot analysis using proteinase-specific antibodies of cell sonicates of the wild-type and mutant strains showed that the proteinase catalytic domain of each of the mutants was not expressed. This analysis further showed that RgpB appeared as 72- and 80-kDa bands, and the catalytic domains of RgpA and Kgp appeared as processed 45-kDa and 48-kDa bands, respectively. In the murine lesion model, mice were challenged with three doses of each mutant and wild-type strain. At the lower dose (3.0 x 10(9) viable-cells), no lesions were recorded for each of the mutants, whereas wild-type W50 induced large ulcerative lesions. At a dose of 6.0 x 10(9) viable-cells, all the mice challenged with the wild-type strain died, whereas mice challenged with the RgpA(-) and RgpB(-) isogenic mutants did not die but developed lesions. Mice challenged with the Kgp(-) isogenic mutant at this dose did not develop lesions. At a 1.2 x 10(10) viable-cell dose, only 40% of mice challenged with the Kgp(-) mutant developed lesions, and these lesions were significantly smaller than lesions induced by the wild-type strain at the 3.0 x 10(9) viable-cell dose. All the mice challenged with the RgpA(-) mutant died at the 1.2 x 10(10) viable-cell dose, whereas only 20% died when challenged with the RgpB(-) mutant at this dose. Wild-type phenotype was restored to the RgpB(-) mutant by complementation with plasmid pNJR12::rgpB containing the rgpB gene. There was no difference between the pNJR12::rgpB-complemented RgpB(-) mutant and the wild-type W50 strain in whole-cell Arg-x activity, protein profile, or virulence in the murine lesion model. These results show that the three proteinases, RgpA, RgpB, and Kgp, all contributed to virulence of P. gingivalis W50 in the murine lesion model and that the order in which they contributed was Kgp >> RgpB > or = RgpA.

Porphyromonas gingivalis, a gram-negative bacterium, has been linked to the onset and progression of periodontitis, a chronic inflammatory disease of the supporting tissues of the teeth. A major virulence factor of P. gingivalis is an extracellular complex of Arg- and Lys-specific proteinases and adhesins designated the RgpA-Kgp complex (formerly the PrtR-PrtK complex). In this study we show that the RgpA-Kgp complex, when used as an immunogen with incomplete Freund adjuvant (IFA), protects against challenge with invasive and noninvasive strains of P. gingivalis in the murine lesion model. We identified a variety of peptide vaccine candidates from the RgpA and Kgp polyprotein sequences that involved the putative active site histidine of both proteinases and five repeat motifs in the adhesin domains of both polyproteins implicated in aggregation and binding to host substrates, designated adhesin-binding motif (ABM) peptides. These peptides were synthesized using standard, solid-phase protocols for 9-fluorenylmethoxy carbonyl chemistry with S-acetylmercaptoacetic acid (SAMA) as the N-terminal residue. The SAMA-peptides were then conjugated to diphtheria toxoid and used with IFA to immunize BALB/c mice. Both active-site peptides and three of the five ABM peptides gave protection (P < 0.005) against challenge with P. gingivalis in the murine lesion model. The three ABM peptide sequences that conferred protection exist within a 100-residue span in the RgpA44 and Kgp39 adhesins of the RgpA-Kgp complex. Protective anti-RgpA-Kgp complex mouse antisera recognized the RgpA27, Kgp39, and RgpA44 adhesins in an immunoblot. Epitope mapping of the RgpA27 adhesin using the protective anti-RgpA-Kgp antisera identified a major protective epitope that mapped immediately N terminal to one of the protective ABM peptides in the 100-residue span in RgpA44 and Kgp39. This identified protective epitope contains clusters of basic residues spatially surrounded by hydrophobic amino acids, a finding which is characteristic of a heparin binding motif.

Serum immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgM, and IgG subclass responses to the RgpA-Kgp proteinase-adhesin complex of Porphyromonas gingivalis were examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using adult periodontitis patients and age- and sex-matched controls. Twenty-five sera from subjects with adult periodontitis (diseased group) and 25 sera from healthy subjects (control group) were used for the study. Sera and subgingival plaque samples from 10 sites were collected from each patient at the time of clinical examination. The level of P. gingivalis in the plaque samples was determined using a DNA probe. Highly significant positive associations between the percentage of sites positive for P. gingivalis and measures of disease severity (mean pocket depth, mean attachment loss, and percentage of sites that bled on probing) were found. The diseased group had significantly higher specific IgG responses to the RgpA-Kgp complex than did the control group, and the responses were significantly associated with mean probing depths and percentage of sites positive for P. gingivalis. Analysis of the IgG subclass responses to the RgpA-Kgp complex revealed that the subclass distribution for both the diseased and control groups was IgG4 > IgG2 > IgG3 = IgG1. The IgG2 response to the complex was positively correlated with mean probing depth, whereas the IgG4 response was negatively correlated with this measure of disease severity. Immunoblot analysis of the RgpA-Kgp complex showed that sera from healthy subjects and those with low levels of disease, with high IgG4 and low IgG2 responses, reacted with the RgpA27, Kgp39, and RgpA44 adhesins; however, sera from diseased subjects with low IgG4 and high IgG2 responses reacted only with the RgpA44 and/or Kgp44 adhesins. Epitope mapping of the RgpA27 adhesin localized a major epitope recognized by IgG4 antibodies in sera from subjects with high IgG4 and low IgG2 responses to the RgpA-Kgp complex which was not recognized by sera from diseased subjects with low IgG4 and high IgG2 responses.