Mutualism versus independence: strategies of mixed-species oral biofilms in vitro using saliva as the sole nutrient source.

During initial dental plaque formation, the ability of a species to grow when others cannot would be advantageous, and enhanced growth through interspecies and intergeneric cooperation could be critical. These characteristics were investigated in three coaggregating early colonizers of the tooth surface (Streptococcus gordonii DL1, Streptococcus oralis 34, and Actinomyces naeslundii T14V). Area coverage and cell cluster size measurements showed that attachment of A. naeslundii and of S. gordonii to glass flowcells was enhanced by a salivary conditioning film, whereas attachment of S. oralis was hindered. Growth experiments using saliva as the sole carbon and nitrogen source showed that A. naeslundii was unable to grow either in planktonic culture or as a biofilm, whereas S. gordonii grew under both conditions. S. oralis grew planktonically, but to a much lower maximum cell density than did S. gordonii; S. oralis did not grow reproducibly as a biofilm. Thus, only S. gordonii possessed all traits advantageous for growth as a solitary and independent resident of the tooth. Two-species biofilm experiments analyzed by laser confocal microscopy showed that neither S. oralis nor A. naeslundii grew when coaggregated pairwise with S. gordonii. However, both S. oralis and A. naeslundii showed luxuriant, interdigitated growth when paired together in coaggregated microcolonies. Thus, the S. oralis-A. naeslundii pair formed a mutualistic relationship, potentially contact dependent, that allows each to grow where neither could survive alone. S. gordonii, in contrast, neither was hindered by nor benefited from the presence of either of the other strains. The formation of mutually beneficial interactions within the developing biofilm may be essential for certain initial colonizers to be retained during early plaque development, whereas other initial colonizers may be unaffected by neighboring cells on the substratum.

Expression of green fluorescent protein in Streptococcus gordonii DL1 and its use as a species-specific marker in coadhesion with Streptococcus oralis 34 in saliva-conditioned biofilms in vitro.

Streptococcus gordonii is one of the predominant streptococci in the biofilm ecology of the oral cavity. It interacts with other bacteria through receptor-adhesin complexes formed between cognate molecules on the surfaces of the partner cells. To study the spatial organization of S. gordonii DL1 in oral biofilms, we used green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a species-specific marker to identify S. gordonii in a two-species in vitro oral biofilm flowcell system. To drive expression of gfp, we isolated and characterized an endogenous S. gordonii promoter, PhppA, which is situated upstream of the chromosomal hppA gene encoding an oligopeptide-binding lipoprotein. A chromosomal chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (cat) gene fusion with PhppA was constructed and used to demonstrate that PhppA was highly active throughout the growth of bacteria in batch culture. A promoterless 0.8-kb gfp ('gfp) cassette was PCR amplified from pBJ169 and subcloned to replace the cat cassette downstream of the S. gordonii-derived PhppA in pMH109-HPP, generating pMA1. Subsequently, the PhppA-'gfp cassette was PCR amplified from pMA1 and subcloned into pDL277 and pVA838 to generate the Escherichia coli-S. gordonii shuttle vectors pMA2 and pMA3, respectively. Each vector was transformed into S. gordonii DL1 aerobically to ensure GFP expression. Flow cytometric analyses of aerobically grown transformant cultures were performed over a 24-h period, and results showed that GFP could be successfully expressed in S. gordonii DL1 from PhppA and that S. gordonii DL1 transformed with the PhppA-'gfp fusion plasmid stably maintained the fluorescent phenotype. Fluorescent S. gordonii DL1 transformants were used to elucidate the spatial arrangement of S. gordonii DL1 alone in biofilms or with the coadhesion partner Streptococcus oralis 34 in two-species biofilms in a saliva-conditioned in vitro flowcell system. These results show for the first time that GFP expression in oral streptococci can be used as a species-specific marker in model oral biofilms.

CD4+CD25+ cells regulate CD8 cell anergy in neonatal tolerant mice.

BACKGROUND: Injection of neonatal BALB/c mice with semi-allogeneic splenocytes leads to antigen-specific tolerance lasting into adulthood. Tolerant mice accept A/J skin grafts and fail to generate CD8 cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) activity against A/J targets. Anergic CD8 T cells are present in tolerant mice, and CD4 regulatory cells function to maintain CD8 cell anergy. METHODS: Neonatal BALB/c mice were injected with 108 live CAF, splenocytes, and mice were deemed tolerant by accepting A/J grafts over 40 days. CD8 cell proliferation was measured by in vitro incorporation of bromodeoxyuridine coupled with fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis. Alloantigen-specific cytotoxicity was tested using 51Cr release assays of A/J or third-party targets. RESULTS: We demonstrate that A/J-specific anergic CD8 cells are present in neonatal primed mice that develop tolerance but not in neonatal primed mice that reject A/J skin grafts. Anergic CD8 cells show decreased proliferation and no CTL activity against A/J targets. Addition of interleukin-2 (IL-2) to unfractionated cultures fails to restore CTL activity against A/J targets. However, addition of IL-2 to CD4-depleted cultures restores A/J-specific CD8 CTL activity. Removal of CD4+/CD25+ cells, but not CD4+/CD25- cells, also restores CD8 CTL activity against A/J in the presence, but not the absence, of IL-2. Moreover, when added back into cultures, purified CD4+/CD25+ cells from tolerant mice inhibit the generation of CD8 CTL against A/J targets. CONCLUSION: These data indicate that CD8 anergy is associated with the state of tolerance, and that CD4+CD25+ cells from tolerant mice function to maintain A/J-specific CD8 cell anergy in vitro.