Oxidative stress induces phosphorylation of the ABC transporter, ATP-binding protein, in Porphyromonas gingivalis.

The Gram-negative anaerobic bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis is a major causative agent of periodontal disease. Although P. gingivalis is an anaerobic bacterium, it exhibits aerotolerance and can survive in periodontal pockets, indicating that it must possess a mechanism for protection against oxidative stress, although the precise details are still unclear. Recently, phosphorylation signaling has been implicated in the regulation of bacterial virulence. In the present study, to examine the effect of oxidative stress on phosphorylation of proteins in P. gingivalis, we analyzed oxidative stress-induced alterations of phosphorylated proteins using two-dimensional electrophoresis with phosphoprotein staining coupled with MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry analysis. Among the phosphorylated proteins analyzed, we identified an increase in phosphorylation of the ABC transporter, ATP-binding protein (PG0258). Since the ABC transporter family is known to be involved in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) biosynthesis, we examined the level of LPS using an endotoxin assay and found that LPS production was increased in P. gingivalis. Our present findings suggest that the early response of P. gingivalis to oxidative stress could trigger the development and progression of periodontal disease through enhancement of LPS production by phosphorylation of the ABC transporter, ATP-binding protein.