Epithelial cells regulate immune and microbial populations in oral mucosal inflammatory diseases – periodontitis and peri-implantitis 4218

Abstract Description Mucosal surfaces are typical sites of initial entry into the human body for infectious pathogens. At these barriers, mucosal epithelial cells respond to pathogens and prime the immune system to mount a strong defense against agent spread; dysregulation of these responses can lead to overactivation manifesting in inflammatory diseases like periodontitis and peri-implantitis. The lack of an in-depth understanding of how these epithelial cells influence the regulation of associated microbiome and innate and adaptive immunity at mucosal barriers is a major challenge in the design of targeted oral therapies and mucosal vaccines for oral inflammatory diseases. Here, leveraging parallel single-nucleus transcriptomics and 16S microbial sequencing, we investigate the role of specialized mucosal epithelial populations, like junctional epithelial cells, in recruiting immune cells & regulating specific pathogenic microbial species that inform oral health. Our data highlight how changes in these populations regulate inflammation around natural teeth and artificial implants. Overall, our study yields insights into the specific epithelial cytokine-mediated immune crosstalk associated with oral mucosal barrier health and immunity that can be leveraged to develop improved preventions and cures for a wide variety of oral cavity diseases. Topic Categories Mucosal and Regional Immunology (MUC)