Quorum sensing (Microbiology); Cellular signal transduction; Bacterial genetics
Quorum sensing in the oral pathogen Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans is dependent upon the soluble signaling molecule AI-2, but it is not known how the initial detection of AI-2 is coupled to the downstream regulation of gene expression that...
Periodontitis; Iron--Health aspects; Iron in the body
The dental pathogen A. actinomycetemcomitans, a Gram- negative organism, has been associated with aggressive forms of periodontitis. A. actinomycetemcomitans requires iron to grow. In the host, iron-binding proteins such as transferrin,...
Periodontitis is a chronic, destructive inflammatory disease of the supporting
tissues of the teeth with a high prevalence among adults. While the complete
pathogenesis of periodontitis remains unclear, it is initiated and sustained by...