Salivary Biomarkers for Detection of Systemic Diseases

Peer reviewe

Genomic organization of the leukotriene B(4) receptor locus of human chromosome 14

The genomic region containing the genes encoding the first leukotriene B(4) receptor, BLTR, as well as the recently cloned second leukotriene B(4)-activated receptor, BLTR2, was mapped by (a) sequence analysis of a human bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library containing a 15-kb segment corresponding to chromosome 14q11. 2-12 where the BLTR/BLTR2 genes were previously shown to be located, together with (b) sequence analysis of 83 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from this region. The BLTR gene includes four different 5' untranslated regions (UTRs) and a mutual acceptor site for the exon containing the intronless open reading frame. The BLTR2 gene is intronless and overlapped by a 5' UTR splice version of BLTR and, on the reverse strand, of the apoptosis-related CIDE-B gene. This indicates a complex posttranscriptional gene regulation. Further adding to the complexity of the region is evidence of a fourth putative and novel gene, most homologous to the rat adenylyl cyclase IV gene

Cloning and characterization of cDNA encoding a novel human leukotriene B(4) receptor

By homology screening using BLAST searches of expressed sequence tags (ESTs), we have found a previously unidentified cDNA encoding a putative seven-transmembrane receptor with highest similarity to the leukotriene B(4) receptor, BLTR. Analysis of calcium flow in transfected cells, along with sequence analysis, revealed that the EST encoded a functionally inactive protein, lacking the segment corresponding to the C-terminal part of the putative receptor protein. The missing segment was obtained by PCR amplification of a human leukocyte cDNA library and ligated to the truncated EST cDNA. The novel cDNA encodes a full-length receptor with 39% identity to the previously cloned BLTR. Studies of intracellular calcium flow of transfected HeLa cells exposed to various leukotrienes showed that also the novel BLTR-like receptor can be activated by leukotriene B(4), and it is therefore tentatively named BLTR2

Salivary biomarkers of oral health : a cross-sectional study

Aim Saliva is a useful diagnostic fluid for oral-related diseases. Monitoring salivary biomarkers for oral and systemic diseases could become an important complement to clinical examinations in epidemiological surveys. Recent findings indicate that it is possible to detect biomarkers for oral diseases within saliva samples. The aim of this study was to investigate if known salivary biomarkers could be used for epidemiological studies for detection of periodontitis. Materials and Methods A randomly selected sample of adults (20–89 years) living in Southern Sweden were invited to participate. Four hundred and fifty-one individuals were examined clinically using standard examination procedures. Stimulated saliva samples were collected and analysed for concentrations of IL-1β, -6, -8, lysozyme, matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-8 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 using ELISA, immunofluorometric assay or Luminex assays. Results Patients with severe periodontitis presented with elevated salivary concentrations of IL-1β (p < 0.001) and MMP-8 (p < 0.001). In addition, the MMP-8/TIMP-1 ratio was significantly higher in the severe periodontitis group (p < 0.001). Smokers compared with non-smokers showed slightly lower concentrations of IL–8 (p < 0.05) and MMP-8 (p = 0.052). Conclusion This investigation shows that IL-1β, MMP-8 and the ratio of MMP-8/TIMP-1 could be used as markers of periodontal disease in larger patient populations