Transcriptome analysis reveals mucin 4 to be highly associated with periodontitis and identifies pleckstrin as a link to systemic diseases

Abstract

The multifactorial chronic inflammatory disease periodontitis, which is characterized by destruction of tooth-supporting tissues, has also been implicated as a risk factor for various systemic diseases. Although periodontitis has been studied extensively, neither disease-specific biomarkers nor therapeutic targets have been identified, nor its link with systemic diseases. Here, we analyzed the global transcriptome of periodontitis and compared its gene expression profile with those of other inflammatory conditions, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and ulcerative colitis (UC). Gingival biopsies from 62 patients with periodontitis and 62 healthy subjects were subjected to RNA sequencing. The up-regulated genes in periodontitis were related to inflammation, wounding and defense response, and apoptosis, whereas down-regulated genes were related to extracellular matrix organization and structural support. The most highly up-regulated gene was mucin 4 (MUC4), and its protein product was confirmed to be over-expressed in periodontitis. When comparing the expression profile of periodontitis with other inflammatory diseases, several gene ontology categories, including inflammatory response, cell death, cell motion, and homeostatic processes, were identified as common to all diseases.

Platelet‐rich fibrin/biphasic calcium phosphate impairs osteoclast differentiation and promotes apoptosis by the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway in chronic periodontitis

“…demonstrated the greater expression of apoptotic protein Bcl‐2 in gingival tissues of patients with chronic periodontitis. Lundmark et al . reported the expression of apoptosis‐related genes in gingival tissues, and Liu et al .…”

Periodontal and inflammatory bowel diseases: Is there evidence for complex pathogenic interactions?

“…Processes related to immune responses, cell motion, cell death, and homeostasis were up-regulated in all the diseases, but only one gene, pleckstrin (PLEK), was commonly up-regulated in all four diseases, suggesting that it could be a key link between periodontitis and these inflammatory diseases. MMP7 and B-cell lymphoma 2-related protein A1 (BCL2A1) were also up-regulated across periodontitis and UC [73] . Taken all together, the studies cited herein show that a model of the interaction of the pathogenesis of periodontitis and inflammatory bowel disease involves a complex interplay between the immuneinflammatory response and the dysbiotic microbiota, under the influence of environmental and genetic factors.…”

Biological links in periodontitis and rheumatoid arthritis: Discovery via text‐mining PubMed abstracts

“…While a large set of experimental studies exist, the scale of putative molecular mechanisms underlying PD and RA comorbidity may be revealed by primary gene expression studies. Such studies utilize microarray or high‐throughput RNA‐sequencing of transcriptome . However, these data are scarce, arguably owing to high cost and logistic factors.…”