Agglutinin and Acidic Proline-rich Protein Receptor Patterns May Modulate Bacterial Adherence and Colonization on Tooth Surfaces

Bacterial binding to salivary proteins may in part account for individual differences in the colonization of tooth surface. High-motecular-weight glycoproteins, agglutinins, mediate S. mutans adherence, whereas acidic proline-rich proteins mediate adherence of other early-colonizing streptococci and Actinemyces. The aim of the present study was to examine the composition of adherence-related salivary proteins and dental plaque micro-organisms in three individuals with a low, moderate, and high capacity to mediate S. mutans adherence. The S. mutans (strain Ingbritt) binding activity resided with 300-kDa agglutinin which was six-fold more prevalent in the high S. mutans binding saliva compared with the low one. Binding to all three salivas was completely by a monoclonal anti-agglutinin antibody. The moderate S. mutans binding saliva was found to contain adherence-inhibiting components. Furthermore, the low and moderate S. mutant binding salivas mediated binding of A. naeslundii strain LY7 to a greater exten...