Jang Eun-Young, Yang Seok Bin, Chun Jeewan, Kwack Kyu Hwan, Kang Sang-Wook, Lee Jae-Hyung, Moon Ji-Hoi
Department of Oral Microbiology, College of Dentistry, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Department of Dentistry, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
J Oral Microbiol. 2025 Jul 31;17(1):2540827. doi: 10.1080/20002297.2025.2540827. eCollection 2025.
is a keystone pathogen in periodontitis, associated with dysbiosis and chronic inflammation. While its virulence mechanisms are well characterized, its transcriptional heterogeneity at the single-cell level remains unexplored.
We applied split-pool barcoding-based single-cell RNA sequencing to profile gene expression in 1,942 individual W83 cells cultured under anaerobic conditions. Clustering and differential expression analyses were conducted to identify distinct transcriptional subpopulations.
We identified six transcriptionally distinct clusters, with the two largest accounting for 72.7% of the population. Minor clusters exhibited signatures related to stress responses, metabolism, membrane transport, and DNA regulation. Sub-clustering of major populations revealed rare subgroups, including one enriched for genes involved in iron acquisition, proteolysis, and transport.
This study presents the first single-cell transcriptomic map of , revealing rare but functionally significant subpopulations. Such diversity may support bacterial adaptability, virulence, and immune evasion, informing future strategies for targeted periodontal therapy.
是牙周炎中的关键病原体，与生态失调和慢性炎症相关。虽然其毒力机制已得到充分表征，但其在单细胞水平上的转录异质性仍未得到探索。
我们应用基于分裂池条形码的单细胞RNA测序来分析在厌氧条件下培养的1942个单个W83细胞中的基因表达。进行聚类和差异表达分析以识别不同的转录亚群。
我们鉴定出六个转录上不同的簇，其中两个最大的簇占群体的72.7%。较小的簇表现出与应激反应、代谢、膜转运和DNA调节相关的特征。主要群体的亚聚类揭示了罕见的亚组，包括一个富含参与铁获取、蛋白水解和转运的基因的亚组。
本研究展示了的首张单细胞转录组图谱，揭示了罕见但功能上重要的亚群。这种多样性可能支持细菌的适应性、毒力和免疫逃避，为未来的靶向牙周治疗策略提供信息。
