T-cell contributions to alveolar bone loss in response to oral infection with Porphyromonas gingivalis.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2001

First Page

222

Last Page

225

JAX Location

see Reprint Collection

JAX Source

Acta Odontol Scand 2001 Aug; 59(4):222-5.

Grant

RO1AI24544/AI/NIAID, RO1DE10728/DE/NIDCR

Abstract

We have previously shown that mice lacking CD4+, but not CD8+, T cells lose less alveolar bone loss in response to oral infection with Porphyromonas gingivalis than do immunocompetent mice of the same genetic background, indicating that CD4+ T cells contribute to bone resorption. The CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell knockouts were produced by targeted deletions of, respectively, major histocompatibility complex II (MHCII) or beta2-microglobulin (producing non-expression of MHCI). Because MHC deletions can have other effects in addition to those on T-cell selection, we wanted to confirm that the lessened bone loss was truly an effect of the lack of T cells. Consequently, we repeated our experiments with C57B1 /6J-Tcra mice that have a targeted deletion of the alpha chain of the T-cell receptor (Tcra). Six weeks after oral infection with P. gingivalis ATCC 53977 the total bone loss at buccal maxillary sites was 0.28 mm in infected immunocompetent mice (P=0.002 compared with sham-infected mice), whereas in Tcra knockouts the bone loss was only 0.08 mm (P=0.04 compared with shams). The T-cell-deficient mice thus lost 70% less bone after infection than did genetically matched immunocompetent mice (P =0.003). These experiments confirm that T cells, and their responses to oral infection with P. gingivalis, help to push bone remodeling in the direction of net loss of bone.

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