Opportunistic Pathogen Modulates Danger Signal ATP-Mediated Antibacterial NOX2 Pathways in Primary Epithelial Cells.

, a major opportunistic pathogen in the etiology of chronic periodontitis, successfully survives in human gingival epithelial cells (GECs). abrogates the effects of a host danger molecule, extracellular ATP (eATP)/P2X signaling, such as the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) via the mitochondria and NADPH oxidases (NOX) from primary GECs. However, antimicrobial functions of ROS production are thoroughly investigated in myeloid-lineage immune cells and have not been well-understood in epithelial cells.