糖心TV

Abstract: The oral cavity represents a finely balanced ecosystem in which a plethora of bacterial species lives in complex communities. To cohabitate efficiently, bacteria within these biofilms have evolved intricate systems of communication, such as quorum sensing, cooperation or competition, involving signaling, sharing of resources and/or metabolic activities.
When this equilibrium gets disturbed, a disease-associated biofilm can develop as seen in particular in periodontitis. The anaerobe Fusobacterium nucleatum is seen as a key player in the emergence of a dysbiotic oral microflora. However, F. nucleatum has also been associated with non-oral diseases such as atherogenic cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal carcinoma.
Five different subspecies have been described to date. Currently available data have already given insight into a highly promiscuous genome and numerous differences between the subspecies. It is however uncertain whether all subspecies can be/are pathogenic or whether certain subspecies might be associated with pathogenesis and others with the healthy flora.
We have started a comprehensive comparison of all 5 subspecies, including genomic, proteomic and further phenotypic analysis in an attempt to answer this question.