Figure 1.

Experimental workflow and analytic approach. (A) Peripheral blood samples from 14 patients and 14 matched healthy controls were collected at baseline, with a subset of 16 patients (9 patients and 7 controls) undergoing standard nonsurgical treatment for chronic periodontitis (ChP) and an additional blood draw 3 wk after treatment. (B) Whole blood samples were either unstimulated or stimulated with receptor-specific ligands, including lipopolysaccharide isolated from Porphyromonas gingivalis (pgLPS), interferon α (IFN-α), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), and a cytokine cocktail consisting of interleukin 2 (IL-2), IL-4, and IL-6, and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Samples were processed for mass cytometry (CyTOF) analysis. (C) A cell signaling elastic net analysis of the mass cytometry data set formed a correlation network of immune features highlighting coordinated intracellular signaling responses associated with ChP. The nodes are colored according to the stimulation condition as indicated.