ADHERENCE OF ORAL MICROORGANISMS TO HUMAN PAROTID SALIVARY PROTEINS

Bacterial colonisation of oral surfaces by microorganisms may be depen dent on their interaction with specific host receptor molecules. Prima ry oral colonisers are known to remove specific proteins from parotid saliva. The aim of this study was to determine whether these interacti ons facilitate microbial attachment to a surface and hence identify sp ecific salivary components as putative host receptor molecules. Paroti d saliva was resolved by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel el ectrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and then electroblotted onto nitrocellulose m embranes. Suspensions of fluorescently labelled microorganisms were in cubated with the blots and salivary components with adherent bacteria identified as fluorescent bands under ultraviolet (UV) transilluminati on. Species of streptococci known to be early colonisers of the clean tooth surface were found to adhere specifically to certain salivary pr oteins, especially to basic proline-rich proteins (PRPs). Polymorphic variations in these patterns could form the basis of differences in or al microflora, susceptibility to oral infections and consequent diseas e.