Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1991 Apr;173(8):2581–2589. doi: 10.1128/jb.173.8.2581-2589.1991

Adhesion of Actinomyces viscosus to Porphyromonas (Bacteroides) gingivalis-coated hexadecane droplets.

M Rosenberg 1, I A Buivids 1, R P Ellen 1
PMCID: PMC207824  PMID: 1901571

Abstract

Interbacterial adhesion (coadhesion) is considered a major determinant of dental plaque ecology. In this report, we studied several aspects of the adhesion of Porphyromonas (Bacteroides) gingivalis to hexadecane in order to use the liquid hydrocarbon as a convenient substratum for coadhesion assays. Washed suspensions of hydrophobic P. gingivalis 2561 cells were vortexed with hexadecane to yield highly stable cell-coated droplets. Kinetics of coadhesion between Actinomyces viscosus cells and P. gingivalis-coated hexadecane droplets (PCHD) was subsequently studied. Aliquots of PCHD were added to A. viscosus suspensions, and the mixtures were gently rotated. Avid adhesion of A. viscosus cells to the immobilized P. gingivalis layer could be readily measured by the decrease in turbidity in the aqueous phase, following phase separation. Despite the ability of A. viscosus cells to adsorb to hexadecane following vigorous mixing, gentle mixing did not appreciably promote adhesion to bare hexadecane. Moreover, extensive microscopic examinations revealed that A. viscosus cells adhered exclusively to the bound P. gingivalis cells rather than to exposed areas of hexadecane. Coadhesion of A. viscosus to the PCHD appeared to follow first-order kinetics, attaining 80% levels within 30 min. Electron micrographs revealed A. viscosus cells adhering to the P. gingivalis cell layer adsorbed at the hexadecane-water interface. Interestingly, P. gingivalis cells did not appear to penetrate the hexadecane. A viscosus mutants lacking type 1 or type 2 fimbriae or both were still able to bind to the PCHD. No obvious correlation was observed between relative hydrophobicity of A. viscosus strains and their binding to PCHD. However, defatted bovine serum albumin, an inhibitor of hydrophobic interactions, was the most potent inhibitor among those tested. The data suggest that this approach provides a simple, quantitative technique for studying kinetics of bacterial coadhesion which is amenable to both light and electron microscopic observation.

Full text

PDF
2581

Images in this article

2584Image
on p.2584
2585Image
on p.2585
2586Image
on p.2586
2586Image
on p.2586
2587Image
on p.2587

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bourgeau G., Mayrand D. Aggregation of Actinomyces strains by extracellular vesicles produced by Bacteroides gingivalis. Can J Microbiol. 1990 May;36(5):362–365. doi: 10.1139/m90-063. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Cisar J. O., Vatter A. E., Clark W. B., Curl S. H., Hurst-Calderone S., Sandberg A. L. Mutants of Actinomyces viscosus T14V lacking type 1, type 2, or both types of fimbriae. Infect Immun. 1988 Nov;56(11):2984–2989. doi: 10.1128/iai.56.11.2984-2989.1988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Clark W. B., Lane M. D., Beem J. E., Bragg S. L., Wheeler T. T. Relative hydrophobicities of Actinomyces viscosus and Actinomyces naeslundii strains and their adsorption to saliva-treated hydroxyapatite. Infect Immun. 1985 Mar;47(3):730–736. doi: 10.1128/iai.47.3.730-736.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Ellen R. P., Balcerzak-Raczkowski I. B. Interbacterial aggregation of Actinomyces naeslundii and dental plaque streptococci. J Periodontal Res. 1977 Jan;12(1):11–20. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0765.1977.tb00104.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Ellen R. P., Schwarz-Faulkner S., Grove D. A. Coaggregation among periodontal pathogens, emphasizing Bacteroides gingivalis--Actinomyces viscosus cohesion on a saliva-coated mineral surface. Can J Microbiol. 1988 Mar;34(3):299–306. doi: 10.1139/m88-055. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. GIBBONS R. J., MACDONALD J. B. Hemin and vitamin K compounds as required factors for the cultivation of certain strains of Bacteroides melaninogenicus. J Bacteriol. 1960 Aug;80:164–170. doi: 10.1128/jb.80.2.164-170.1960. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Garber N., Sharon N., Shohet D., Lam J. S., Doyle R. J. Contribution of hydrophobicity to hemagglutination reactions of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Infect Immun. 1985 Oct;50(1):336–337. doi: 10.1128/iai.50.1.336-337.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Gibbons R. J. Adherent interactions which may affect microbial ecology in the mouth. J Dent Res. 1984 Mar;63(3):378–385. doi: 10.1177/00220345840630030401. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Gibbons R. J., Etherden I. Comparative hydrophobicities of oral bacteria and their adherence to salivary pellicles. Infect Immun. 1983 Sep;41(3):1190–1196. doi: 10.1128/iai.41.3.1190-1196.1983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Gibbons R. J., Nygaard M. Interbacterial aggregation of plaque bacteria. Arch Oral Biol. 1970 Dec;15(12):1397–1400. doi: 10.1016/0003-9969(70)90031-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Handley P. S., Tipler L. S. An electron microscope survey of the surface structures and hydrophobicity of oral and non-oral species of the bacterial genus Bacteroides. Arch Oral Biol. 1986;31(5):325–335. doi: 10.1016/0003-9969(86)90047-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Jenkinson H. F., Carter D. A. Cell surface mutants of Streptococcus sanguis with altered adherence properties. Oral Microbiol Immunol. 1988 Jun;3(2):53–57. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-302x.1988.tb00081.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Kolenbrander P. E., Andersen R. N. Multigeneric aggregations among oral bacteria: a network of independent cell-to-cell interactions. J Bacteriol. 1986 Nov;168(2):851–859. doi: 10.1128/jb.168.2.851-859.1986. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Kolenbrander P. E. Intergeneric coaggregation among human oral bacteria and ecology of dental plaque. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1988;42:627–656. doi: 10.1146/annurev.mi.42.100188.003211. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Liljemark W. F., Bloomquist C. G., Coulter M. C., Fenner L. J., Skopek R. J., Schachtele C. F. Utilization of a continuous streptococcal surface to measure interbacterial adherence in vitro and in vivo. J Dent Res. 1988 Dec;67(12):1455–1460. doi: 10.1177/00220345880670120301. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. McIntire F. C., Crosby L. K., Vatter A. E. Inhibitors of coaggregation between Actinomyces viscosus T14V and Streptococcus sanguis 34: beta-galactosides, related sugars, and anionic amphipathic compounds. Infect Immun. 1982 Apr;36(1):371–378. doi: 10.1128/iai.36.1.371-378.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Nesbitt W. E., Doyle R. J., Taylor K. G. Hydrophobic interactions and the adherence of Streptococcus sanguis to hydroxylapatite. Infect Immun. 1982 Nov;38(2):637–644. doi: 10.1128/iai.38.2.637-644.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Ofek I., Whitnack E., Beachey E. H. Hydrophobic interactions of group A streptococci with hexadecane droplets. J Bacteriol. 1983 Apr;154(1):139–145. doi: 10.1128/jb.154.1.139-145.1983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Op den Camp H. J., Oosterhof A., Veerkamp J. H. Cell surface hydrophobicity of Bifidobacterium bifidum subsp. pennsylvanicum. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek. 1985;51(3):303–312. doi: 10.1007/BF02439939. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Rosenberg M. Isolation of pigmented and nonpigmented mutants of Serratia marcescens with reduced cell surface hydrophobicity. J Bacteriol. 1984 Oct;160(1):480–482. doi: 10.1128/jb.160.1.480-482.1984. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Schwarz S., Ellen R. P., Grove D. A. Bacteroides gingivalis-Actinomyces viscosus cohesive interactions as measured by a quantitative binding assay. Infect Immun. 1987 Oct;55(10):2391–2397. doi: 10.1128/iai.55.10.2391-2397.1987. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Shah H. N., Seddon S. V., Gharbia S. E. Studies on the virulence properties and metabolism of pleiotropic mutants of Porphyromonas gingivalis (Bacteroides gingivalis) W50. Oral Microbiol Immunol. 1989 Mar;4(1):19–23. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-302x.1989.tb00401.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Yen S., Gibbons R. J. The influence of albumin on adsorption of bacteria on hydroxyapatite beads in vitro and human tooth surfaces in vivo. Arch Oral Biol. 1987;32(7):531–533. doi: 10.1016/s0003-9969(87)80016-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Bacteriology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES