Objectives: Previously, we screened 149 subjects for variation in saliva killing, aggregation, and live and dead adherence of oral bacteria. Groups with opposite function scores were defined as: low aggregation-adherence /low killing (LaaLk; n = 9), low aggregation-adherence /high killing (LaaHk; n = 14), high aggregation-adherence /low killing (HaaLk; n = 8), and high aggregation-adherence /high killing (HaaHk; n = 10). Caries scores were lower in both Haa groups, which also showed lower levels of supragingival plaque, streptococci, and Tannerella forsythensis (Arch. Oral Biol. 47:347, 48:475, and 49:523). In this study, we performed a proteomic comparison of the Haa and Laa groups.

Methods: Clarified resting whole saliva from each subject was separated by preparative isoelectric focusing into 20 fractions. Fractions showing the most distinctive protein profiles were pooled into four sets (pI 3-3.5, pI 4-4.7, pI 5.7-7.7, pI 10-11.5). Each pool then was compared between salivary function groups by SDS-PAGE. Image analysis software was used to quantify matched bands. Partial least squares analysis (PLS) was used to determine which of the 65 bands from all four pools were the best predictors of group membership, caries, total plaque, total streptococci, and T. forsythensis counts.

Results: Two bands in the pI 4-4.7 pool (MAR9 and MAR10) consistently appeared in the list of strong predictors for separate PLS analyses of group membership, caries, total plaque, total streptococci, and T. forsythensis counts. In follow-up univariate analyses, those bands showed the most significant differences between the Haa and Laa groups. They also showed significant inverse correlations with caries and all the microbiological variables.

Conclusions: Mass spectrophotometric identification of MAR9 and MAR10 is pending. Those proteins may have the potential to serve as markers of increased or decreased risk for the development of caries and other oral diseases.

Supported by NIH grant DE 07233.

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