Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.2.1.23 (beta-galactosidase)
 14,648 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Specific glycosidase activities were determined in samples of gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) collected from eight predetermined sites in two groups, each of 20 adult patients, with either gingivitis or periodontitis. The total activities (as units of enzyme activity per sample) of alpha-L-fucosidase, sialidase, beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase, beta-galactosidase, beta-glucosidase and alpha-glucosidase were significantly greater in the periodontitis group. In contrast, the total beta-mannosidase and hexosaminidase A activities were significantly greater in the gingivitis group, while there was no significant difference in the total alpha-mannosidase activity between the groups. Only the specific activities (as units of enzyme activity per min per microliter of GCF) of beta-mannosidase and hexosaminidase A were significantly different between the groups being greater in the gingivitis group. When used to predict the clinical status of individual periodontal sites, the total enzyme activities had specificity and sensitivity values of 91.9 and 61.3%, respectively. Measurement of glycosidase activities might thus have a role in monitoring the efficacy of periodontal treatment or in predicting future periodontal disease but this will require further investigation.
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PMID:Glycosidase activities in gingival crevicular fluid in subjects with adult periodontitis or gingivitis. 161 Mar 3

Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (A.a.) can produce a potent leukotoxin that is thought to be involved in evasion of the host immune response. In order to understand the role of A.a. and its leukotoxin in the initiation and progression of periodontal disease, it is important determine how the expression of A.a. virulence factors might be regulated by the local periodontal micro-environment. To facilitate the measurement of leukotoxin levels, a leukotoxin-beta-galactosidase gene fusion was constructed and recombined into the chromosome of A.a. strain JP2 at the leukotoxin locus. The resulting strain, AAM17, produces beta-galactosidase under control of the leukotoxin promoter. It also produces leukotoxin, since integration of the gene fusion into the chromosome was designed to produce a duplication of the leukotoxin gene. This strain was used to measure the change in leukotoxin level in response to alterations in two environmental signals: iron concentration and oxygen tension. When AAM17 was grown in iron-limited media that did not alter growth rate but did increase the levels of other iron-regulated proteins, the levels of the leukotoxin-beta-galactosidase were similar to those found in AAM17 grown in iron-replete media. These results were confirmed in strains AAM17 and JP2 by leukotoxicity assays and RNA blots. Aerobic growth of AAM17 resulted in a three-fold decrease in leukotoxin beta-galactosidase activity compared with anaerobically grown cells. These results indicate that the A.a. leukotoxin is regulated by some of the environmental signals that may vary in the gingival crevice.
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PMID:The regulation of leukotoxin production in Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans strain JP2. 766 14

Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, the etiologic agent of localized juvenile periodontitis, produces a potent leukotoxin that kills human neutrophils. The production of leukotoxin RNA can vary more than 50-fold among isolates of A. actinomycetemcomitans, and strains expressing high levels of leukotoxin RNA are most often found at sites of periodontal disease. To assess the relative contributions of transcription factors and promoter sequences in setting the disparate levels of leukotoxin RNA found, we have undertaken classical cis/trans analyses. First, the leukotoxin promoter regions from moderately leukotoxic (Y4) and minimally leukotoxic (ATCC 33384) strains of A. actinomycetemcomitans were cloned, sequenced, and compared with the previously sequences leukotoxin promoter region of the high-producer strain JP2. The Y4 and ATCC 33384 promoter regions each contain a 528-bp segment that is absent from JP2. Interestingly, the analysis of various deletion constructs in A. actinomycetemcomitans indicated that Y4, despite the large insertion, initiates leukotoxin RNA synthesis at the same promoter as JP2 does. To perform cis/trans analyses, these three leukotoxin promoter regions were cloned into a plasmid upstream of the reporter gene beta-galactosidase. Each plasmid was transformed into JP2, Y4, and ATCC 33384, and the beta-galactosidase levels were determined. The results indicated that the sequences responsible for down-regulating leukotoxin RNA levels in Y4 relative to JP2 are found within the transcribed region of the Y4 leukotoxin operon. Importantly, in ATCC 33384, strain-specific trans factors and promoter sequence differences are equally significant in determining the lower levels of leukotoxin RNA. We hypothesize that either strain ATCC 33384 has a negative regulatory protein (which is missing or mutated in JP2/Y4) or that JP2 and Y4 carry an activator that is missing or mutated in ATCC 33384.
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PMID:cis Elements and trans factors are both important in strain-specific regulation of the leukotoxin gene in Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans. 875 84

Gram-negative oral anaerobes have frequently been associated with periodontal disease, some species more frequently than others. The confusing classification of these organisms has often obscured the association with disease of particular species within this group of organisms. This investigation aimed to compare different identification methods that could be applied in clinical research. Clinical isolates were collected and identified by three different methods: screening with phenotypic tests, commercial identification kits, and a 16S rRNA-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. Forty-three reference strains of 19 Prevotella and Porphyromonas species were also included in the investigation. The phenotypic screen easily differentiated Porph. gingivalis from the other pigmented species. The screen also gave a good indication of separation of the lactose-fermenting species from the lactose non-fermenting species, although diversity can be seen in beta-galactosidase activity. Commercial identification kits did not add much to identification achieved with the phenotypic screen, only 20% of Porph. gingivalis isolates could be identified to species level with the kits. Neither the kits nor the phenotypic screen could differentiate Pr. intermedia and Pr. nigrescens. With the PCR method, Pr. intermedia and Pr. nigrescens were easily separated, and Porph. gingivalis was readily identified. Because of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, Pr. melaninogenica and Pr. veroralis could not be separated by the PCR method.
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PMID:Identifying clinically important gram-negative anaerobes from the oral cavity. 1062 1