In this study we show for the first time the use of carbohydrate chains on glycolipids as receptors for the periodontitis-associated bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis. Previous studies have shown that this bacterium has the ability to adhere to and invade the epithelial lining of the dental pocket. Which receptor(s) the adhesin of P. gingivalis exploit in the adhesion to epithelial cells has not been shown. Therefore, the binding preferences of this specific bacterium to structures of carbohydrate origin from more than 120 different acid and nonacid glycolipid fractions were studied. The bacteria were labeled externally with (35)S and used in a chromatogram binding assay. To enable detection of carbohydrate receptor structures for P. gingivalis, the bacterium was exposed to a large number of purified total glycolipid fractions from a variety of organs from different species and different histo-blood groups. P. gingivalis showed a preference for fractions of human and pig origin for adhesion. Both nonacid and acid glycolipids were used by the bacterium, and a preference for shorter sugar chains was noticed. Bacterial binding to human acid glycolipid fractions was mainly obtained in the region of the chromatograms where sulfated carbohydrate chains usually are found. However, the binding pattern to nonacid glycolipid fractions suggests a core chain of lactose bound to the ceramide part as a tentative receptor structure. The carbohydrate binding of the bacterium might act as a first step in the bacterial invasion process of the dental pocket epithelium, subsequently leading to damage to periodontal tissue and tooth loss.