Dataset Information

Spatial mapping of polymicrobial communities reveals a precise biogeography associated with human dental caries.

ABSTRACT: Tooth decay (dental caries) is a widespread human disease caused by microbial biofilms. Streptococcus mutans, a biofilm-former, has been consistently associated with severe childhood caries; however, how this bacterium is spatially organized with other microorganisms in the oral cavity to promote disease remains unknown. Using intact biofilms formed on teeth of toddlers affected by caries, we discovered a unique 3D rotund-shaped architecture composed of multiple species precisely arranged in a corona-like structure with an inner core of S. mutans encompassed by outer layers of other bacteria. This architecture creates localized regions of acidic pH and acute enamel demineralization (caries) in a mixed-species biofilm model on human teeth, suggesting this highly ordered community as the causative agent. Notably, the construction of this architecture was found to be an active process initiated by production of an extracellular scaffold by S. mutans that assembles the corona cell arrangement, encapsulating the pathogen core. In addition, this spatial patterning creates a protective barrier against antimicrobials while increasing bacterial acid fitness associated with the disease-causing state. Our data reveal a precise biogeography in a polymicrobial community associated with human caries that can modulate the pathogen positioning and virulence potential in situ, indicating that micron-scale spatial structure of the microbiome may mediate the function and outcome of host-pathogen interactions.

SUBMITTER: Kim D

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7275741 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Spatial mapping of polymicrobial communities reveals a precise biogeography associated with human dental caries.

Kim Dongyeop D Barraza Juan P JP Arthur Rodrigo A RA Hara Anderson A Lewis Karl K Liu Yuan Y Scisci Elizabeth L EL Hajishengallis Evlambia E Whiteley Marvin M Koo Hyun H

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20200518 22

Tooth decay (dental caries) is a widespread human disease caused by microbial biofilms. <i>Streptococcus mutans</i>, a biofilm-former, has been consistently associated with severe childhood caries; however, how this bacterium is spatially organized with other microorganisms in the oral cavity to promote disease remains unknown. Using intact biofilms formed on teeth of toddlers affected by caries, we discovered a unique 3D rotund-shaped architecture composed of multiple species precisely arranged ...[more]

PMID: 32424080

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundCaries in young children has received more and more attention. The study of the oral microbiota may help to understand the polymicrobial etiology of dental caries.ObjectivesTo investigate the diversity and structure of microbial communities in saliva samples from 5-year-old children with versus without dental caries.MethodsA total of 36 saliva samples were collected from 18 children with high caries (HB group) and from 18 children without caries (NB group). Then, 16S rDNA was amplified from bacterial samples using polymerase chain reaction, and high-throughput sequencing was performed using Illumina Novaseq platforms.ResultsSequences were clustered into operational taxonomic units (OTUs), which were distributed among 16 phyla, 26 classes, 56 orders, 93 families, 173 genera, and 218 species. Firmicutes, Bacteroides, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Fusobacteria, Patescibacteria, Epsilonbacteraeota, Cyanobacteria, Acidobacteria and Spirochaetes were basically the same in different groups, but their relative abundances were different. The core microbiome was defined as the species from 218 shared microbial taxa. The alpha diversity test showed that there were no significant differences in microbial abundance and diversity between the high caries and no caries groups. The results from principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) and hierarchical clustering showed that the two groups had similar microorganisms. The biomarkers of different groups were defined by LEfSe analysis to identify potential caries-related and health-related bacteria. Co-occurrence network analysis of dominant genera showed that oral microbial communities in the no caries group were more complex and aggregated than those in the high caries group. Finally, the PICRUSt algorithm was used to predict the function of the microbial communities from saliva samples. The obtained results showed that mineral absorption was greater in the no caries group than in the high caries group. BugBase was used to determine phenotypes present in microbial community samples. The obtained results showed that Streptococcus was greater in the high caries group than in the no caries group.ConclusionFindings of this study provide a comprehensive understanding of the microbiological etiology of dental caries in 5-year-old children and are expected to provide new methods for its prevention and treatment.

Dataset Information

Spatial mapping of polymicrobial communities reveals a precise biogeography associated with human dental caries.

Publications

Spatial mapping of polymicrobial communities reveals a precise biogeography associated with human dental caries.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets