The Prevalence of Gingival Dendritic Cell Subsets in Periodontal Patients.

As the most potent cells activating and polarizing naive T cells, dendritic cells (DCs) are of major importance in the induction of immunity and tolerance. DCs are a heterogeneous population of antigen-presenting cells that are widely distributed in lymphoid and nonlymphoid tissues. Murine studies have highlighted the important role of oral DCs and Langerhans cells (LCs) in orchestrating the physiological homeostasis of the oral mucosa.

Porphyromonas gingivalis Promotes Unrestrained Type I Interferon Production by Dysregulating TAM Signaling via MYD88 Degradation.

Whereas type I interferons (IFNs-I) were proposed to be elevated in human periodontitis, their role in the disease remains elusive. Using a bacterial-induced model of murine periodontitis, we revealed a prolonged elevation in IFN-I expression. This was due to the downregulation of TAM signaling, a major negative regulator of IFN-I.

Analysis of Leukocytes in Oral Mucosal Tissues.

The oral mucosa is constantly exposed to an immense amount of microorganisms, while some colonize the various anatomical niches existing in the oral cavity. To deal with such a complex challenge, the oral mucosal immune system must tolerate commensal microorganisms but prevent invasion of pathogens. Such activity is likely to be achieved by a wide range of mechanisms that could be similar or different to those employed by other mucosal tissues.