Lopes Maria Eduarda Scordamaia, Marcantonio Camila Chierici, Salmon Cristiane Ribeiro, Mofatto Luciana Souto, Nociti Junior Francisco Humberto, Eick Sigrun, Deschner James, Cirelli Joni Augusto, Nogueira Andressa Vilas Boas
Department of Diagnosis and Surgery, School of Dentistry at Araraquara, São Paulo State University - UNESP, Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil.
Department of Prosthodontics and Periodontics, Division of Periodontics, Piracicaba Dental School, University of Campinas - UNICAMP, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil; Dental School, Centro Universitário N. Sra do Patrocínio - CEUNSP, Itu, São Paulo, Brazil.
J Proteomics. 2025 Apr 15;314:105384. doi: 10.1016/j.jprot.2025.105384. Epub 2025 Jan 10.
Periodontal disease affects over 1 billion people globally. This study investigated how periodontitis affects the protein profile of the periodontal ligament (PDL) in rats. Eight Holtzman rats were divided into control and experimental periodontitis groups. The PDL was isolated using laser capture microdissection and protein extracts were analyzed by mass spectrometry. Data analysis utilized specialized software, and Gene Ontology enrichment analysis identified significant protein functions. The data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD055817. Proteins such as SerpinB1, C5, and Lgals3 were validated through immunohistochemistry, and their gene expression was examined in an in vitro human PDL cell line. This study identified 1326 proteins, with 156 unique to the control group, 294 unique to the periodontitis group, and 876 common to both groups. Enrichment analysis revealed that proteins associated with the regulation of enzyme activity and RNA binding were significantly represented in the periodontitis group. There were increased levels of SerpinB1, C5, and Lgals3 in the periodontitis group based on proteomic and immunohistochemical analyses. Furthermore, these targets showed increased gene expression in stimulated human PDL cells. This study provides insights into the periodontitis-related alterations in the protein composition of the PDL and PDL cells, identifying both novel and previously known disease-associated proteins. SIGNIFICANCE: The periodontal ligament plays a crucial role in oral functions by providing structural support to the tooth. Due to the presence of undifferentiated mesenchymal cells, research into its regenerative capacity is ongoing. Pathological conditions can affect these functions and protein composition. Currently, there is a lack of comprehensive research specifically focusing on evaluating the periodontal ligament in both healthy and diseased states. This pioneering study screened for protein alterations and the mechanisms related to periodontitis. The possibility of using proteomic analysis to evaluate the protein alterations that occur in periodontitis, a disease with a high global incidence, could provide therapeutic targets and new biomarkers for future clinical studies.
全球超过10亿人受到牙周疾病的影响。本研究调查了牙周炎如何影响大鼠牙周韧带（PDL）的蛋白质谱。将8只霍尔茨曼大鼠分为对照组和实验性牙周炎组。使用激光捕获显微切割技术分离PDL，并通过质谱分析蛋白质提取物。数据分析使用了专门的软件，基因本体富集分析确定了显著的蛋白质功能。数据可通过ProteomeXchange获取，标识符为PXD055817。通过免疫组织化学验证了SerpinB1、C5和Lgals3等蛋白质，并在体外人PDL细胞系中检测了它们的基因表达。本研究鉴定出1326种蛋白质，其中156种为对照组所特有，294种为牙周炎组所特有，876种为两组共有。富集分析表明，与酶活性调节和RNA结合相关的蛋白质在牙周炎组中显著富集。基于蛋白质组学和免疫组织化学分析，牙周炎组中SerpinB1、C5和Lgals3的水平升高。此外，这些靶点在受刺激的人PDL细胞中显示出基因表达增加。本研究深入了解了牙周炎相关的PDL和PDL细胞蛋白质组成变化，鉴定出了新的和先前已知的疾病相关蛋白质。意义：牙周韧带通过为牙齿提供结构支持在口腔功能中发挥关键作用。由于存在未分化的间充质细胞，对其再生能力的研究正在进行中。病理状况会影响这些功能和蛋白质组成。目前，缺乏专门针对评估健康和患病状态下牙周韧带的全面研究。这项开创性研究筛选了与牙周炎相关的蛋白质变化及其机制。使用蛋白质组学分析评估牙周炎（一种全球发病率很高的疾病）中发生的蛋白质变化的可能性，可为未来的临床研究提供治疗靶点和新的生物标志物。
