Global transcription of CRISPR loci in the human oral cavity.

BACKGROUND: Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPRs) are active in acquired resistance against bacteriophage and plasmids in a number of environments. In the human mouth, CRISPR loci evolve to counteract oral phage, but the expression of these CRISPR loci has not previously been investigated. We sequenced cDNA from CRISPR loci found in numerous different oral bacteria and compared with oral phage communities to determine whether the transcription of CRISPR loci is specifically targeted towards highly abundant phage present in the oral environment. RESULTS: We found that of the 529,027 CRISPR spacer groups studied, 88 % could be identified in transcripts, indicating that the vast majority of CRISPR loci in the oral cavity were transcribed. There were no strong associations between CRISPR spacer repertoires and oral health status or nucleic acid type. We also compared CRISPR repertoires with oral bacteriophage communities, and found that there was no significant association between CRISPR transcripts and oral phage, regardless of the CRISPR type being evaluated. We characterized highly expressed CRISPR spacers and found that they were no more likely than other spacers to match oral phage. By reassembling the CRISPR-bearing reads into longer CRISPR loci, we found that the majority of the loci did not have spacers matching viruses found in the oral cavities of the subjects studied. For some CRISPR types, loci containing spacers matching oral phage were significantly more likely to have multiple spacers rather than a single spacer matching oral phage. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that the transcription of oral CRISPR loci is relatively ubiquitous and that highly expressed CRISPR spacers do not necessarily target the most abundant oral phage.

Fibrin is a critical regulator of neutrophil effector function at the oral mucosal barrier.

Tissue-specific cues are critical for homeostasis at mucosal barriers. Here, we report that the clotting factor fibrin is a critical regulator of neutrophil function at the oral mucosal barrier. We demonstrate that commensal microbiota trigger extravascular fibrin deposition in the oral mucosa. Fibrin engages neutrophils through the αMß2 integrin receptor and activates effector functions, including the production of reactive oxygen species and neutrophil extracellular trap formation. These immune-protective neutrophil functions become tissue damaging in the context of impaired plasmin-mediated fibrinolysis in mice and humans. Concordantly, genetic polymorphisms in PLG, encoding plasminogen, are associated with common forms of periodontal disease. Thus, fibrin is a critical regulator of neutrophil effector function, and fibrin-neutrophil engagement may be a pathogenic instigator for a prevalent mucosal disease.

Association Between Sinus Membrane Thickness and Membrane Perforation in Lateral Window Sinus Augmentation: A Retrospective Study.

BACKGROUND: Association between Schneiderian membrane thickness and membrane perforation is examined in lateral window sinus augmentation. METHODS: This retrospective study reviewed records of 551 patients who underwent lateral sinus augmentation at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, from June 1, 2006 to May 31, 2015. Preoperative cone-beam computed tomography images were analyzed to evaluate possible association among membrane thickness, residual bone height, and membrane perforation. Data were evaluated using Mann-Whitney U test at P <0.05. RESULTS: Total 167 patients (95 males and 72 females) met the eligibility criteria and were included in the study. Among them, 47 patients had Schneiderian membrane perforation (perforation group). Mean membrane thickness was 0.84 ± 0.67 mm in the perforation group and 2.65 ± 4.02 mm in the non-perforation group. There was a statistically significant difference in membrane thickness between groups (P <0.001). Mean residual ridge thickness was 2.78 ± 1.37 mm in the perforation group and 4.21 ± 2.09 mm in the non-perforation group. There was a statistically significant difference in residual alveolar bone height (P <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Patients who experienced membrane perforation had a thinner membrane compared with patients without membrane perforation. Schneiderian membrane perforation was associated with decreased residual bone height.

Human oral viruses are personal, persistent and gender-consistent.

Viruses are the most abundant members of the human oral microbiome, yet relatively little is known about their biodiversity in humans. To improve our understanding of the DNA viruses that inhabit the human oral cavity, we examined saliva from a cohort of eight unrelated subjects over a 60-day period. Each subject was examined at 11 time points to characterize longitudinal differences in human oral viruses. Our primary goals were to determine whether oral viruses were specific to individuals and whether viral genotypes persisted over time. We found a subset of homologous viral genotypes across all subjects and time points studied, suggesting that certain genotypes may be ubiquitous among healthy human subjects. We also found significant associations between viral genotypes and individual subjects, indicating that viruses are a highly personalized feature of the healthy human oral microbiome. Many of these oral viruses were not transient members of the oral ecosystem, as demonstrated by the persistence of certain viruses throughout the entire 60-day study period. As has previously been demonstrated for bacteria and fungi, membership in the oral viral community was significantly associated with the sex of each subject. Similar characteristics of personalized, sex-specific microflora could not be identified for oral bacterial communities based on 16S rRNA. Our findings that many viruses are stable and individual-specific members of the oral ecosystem suggest that viruses have an important role in the human oral ecosystem.