User:S4323213

Name Bench ID Date

Porphyromonas gingivalis

Higher order taxa

Bacteria – Bacteria – Bacteroidetes – Bacteroidetes – Bacteroidales – Porphyromonadaceae – Porphyromonas

Species

P. gingivalis W83 Species name and type strain (consult LPSN http://www.bacterio.net/index.html for this information)

Description and significance

Porphyromonas gingivalis is a gram-negative obligate anaerobe that is non-motile and pathogenic. The bacterium is rod-shaped and is found in the oral cavity and has been strongly implicated as a pathogen in periodontitis ^[1], a damaging disease where the supporting structures of teeth and the gingiva are affected.

Give a general description of the species (e.g. where/when was it first discovered, where is it commonly found, has it been cultured, functional role, type of bacterium [Gram+/-], morphology, etc.) and explain why it is important to study this microorganism. Examples of citations ^[1], ^[2]

Genome structure

Select a strain for which genome information (e.g. size, plasmids, distinct genes, etc.) is available.

Cell structure and metabolism

Cell wall, biofilm formation, motility, metabolic functions.

Ecology

Aerobe/anaerobe, habitat (location in the oral cavity, potential other environments) and microbe/host interactions.

Pathology

Do these microorganisms cause disease in the oral cavity or elsewhere?

Application to biotechnology

Bioengineering, biotechnologically relevant enzyme/compound production, drug targets,…

Current research

Summarise some of the most recent discoveries regarding this species.

References

References examples

1. Alpagot, T., Wolff, L. F., Smith, Q. T., & Tran, S. D. (1996). Risk indicators for periodontal disease in a racially diverse urban population. Journal of Clinical Periodontology, 23(11), 982-988. doi:10.1111/j.1600-051X.1996.tb00524.x

Sahm, K., MacGregor, B.J., Jørgensen, B.B., and Stahl, D.A. (1999) Sulphate reduction and vertical distribution of sulphate-reducing bacteria quantified by rRNA slotblot hybridization in a coastal marine sediment. Environ Microbiol 1: 65-74.

2. Human Oral Microbiome

This page is written by Richard Leung for the MICR3004 course, Semester 2, 2016