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Gingival Health Transcriptome

Zachariadou, Christina
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6162-8817
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1532533066167142

Abstract Details

2018, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Dentistry.
Introduction: In the field of periodontology, a satisfactory definition of periodontal health is lacking. Instead, clinicians use surrogate measures, such as color, texture, consistency, probing depths and bleeding on probing to examine periodontal tissues and diagnose disease, or the absence of it, which they define as "clinical health". Additionally, it has been shown that age progression is accompanied by changes in the periodontium. As a result, understanding the gene expression in healthy gingiva, through the field of transcriptomics, could provide some insight on the molecules that contribute to gingival health. Also, comparing the transcriptome of young and older subjects, taking into consideration the effect of sex/gender, can shed light on differential gene expression with age progression and on individual differences between sexes, and may provide future therapeutic endpoints of periodontal treatment. The main focus of this study was to ascertain collagen (COL) and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) gene expression in clinically healthy gingival tissues. Material and Methods: Gingival biopsies were obtained from nineteen non-smoking individuals with clinically healthy gingiva. The location of biopsy collection was the interpapillary attached gingiva between the second premolar and first molar of the two maxillary quadrants. Immediately after harvesting, the tissues were immersed and stored in RNAlater solution. Two age groups were included: "young" (18-35 years old) and "older" individuals (=60 years old). RNA was extracted and Next-Generation RNA Sequencing was performed, with the use of Unique Molecular Identifiers (UMIs). Collagen and MMP gene expression was described. Comparisons were performed between young and older individuals as a total, as well as between young versus older females, and young versus older males. Statistical significance was evaluated using the student's t-test with a P-value = 0.05 set as the statistically significant level. Results: RNA-sequencing analysis with Unique Molecular Identifiers (UMIs) showed that 1790 genes were differentially expressed between the young and old groups; 347 genes were upregulated and 1443 genes were downregulated with aging. Expression of forty-eight collagen genes was seen in the gingiva of participating individuals. The top four expressed collagen genes, with high number of transcripts, were COL1A2, COL17A1, COL3A1 and COL1A1. Fifteen collagen genes were downregulated with aging, and one (COL4A6) was upregulated. Decreases in collagen gene expression seemed to be sex-specific, primary affecting the female aging group, while only one collagen gene (COL16A1) was downregulated in aging males. Twenty-five MMP genes were expressed in our sample. The five genes with the highest expression were MMP2, MMP28, MMP24-AS1, MMP16 and MMP14. MMP2 and MMP15 expression was downregulated in aging females, while MMP16 was downregulated in aging males. Conclusion: Transcriptomic analysis showed that forty-eight COL genes and twenty-five MMP genes are expressed in clinically healthy gingiva. The results of this study indicate that collagen gene expression decreases with aging. This effect is more prominent in females. MMP expression seems to be stable throughout life, with only MMP-2 and MMP-15 decreasing in aging females and MMP16 decreasing in aging males.
Angelo Mariotti (Advisor)
Thomas Hart (Committee Member)
John Walters (Committee Member)
113 p.
Aging; Dentistry; Gender; Health
healthy gingiva; gingival; health; transcriptome; collagen; matrix metalloproteinase; MMP; age; aging; sex; gender

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Zachariadou, C. (2018). Gingival Health Transcriptome [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1532533066167142

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Zachariadou, Christina. Gingival Health Transcriptome. 2018. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1532533066167142.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Zachariadou, Christina. "Gingival Health Transcriptome." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1532533066167142

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1532533066167142
267
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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.