Figure 8.

Putative mechanism for the effects of F. nucleatum on the biological processes in GFs. Schematic diagram depicting how F. nucleatum activates NF-κB, MAPK, and AKT signaling pathways and induces cell proliferation, apoptosis, and inflammatory response. TLR4: Toll-like receptor 4; TLR2: Toll-like receptor 2; IκBα: inhibitors of NF-κB; AKT/PKB: protein kinase B; NF-κB: nuclear factor kappa B; MAPK: mitogen-activated protein kinase; JNK: c-Jun N-terminal kinase; ERK: extracellular signal-regulated kinase.