Phosphorylcholine-Dependent Cross-Reactivity between Dental Plaque Bacteria and Oxidized Low-Density Lipoproteins

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Abstract
Antibodies reactive with phosphorylcholine (PC) are ubiquitous in human sera, but the antigens stimulating their production and their function are not clear. Previous studies have shown that a significant proportion of dental plaque bacteria contain PC as determined by reactivity with PC-specific mouse myeloma proteins and monoclonal antibodies. Additionally, serum antibody concentrations of immunoglobulin (IgG) G anti-PC are higher in sera of individuals who have experienced periodontal attachment loss than those who are periodontally healthy. These data implicate the oral microflora as a source of antigen-stimulating anti-PC responses. Recent data also indicate that antibodies with specificity for PC are elevated in ApoE-deficient mice, a model for studies of athersclerosis, and that such antibodies bound oxidized low-density lipoproteins (LDL) (oxLDL) in atherosclerotic plaques. These data prompted the hypothesis that human anti-PC could bind to both oral bacteria and human oxLDL, and that these antigens are cross-reactive. We therefore examined the ability of human anti-PC to bind to PC-bearing strains of oral bacteria using enzyme-linked immunosorbent inhibition assays and by assessment of direct binding of affinity-purified human anti-PC to PC-bearingActinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans. Our results indicated that PC-bearing strains ofStreptococcus oralis,Streptococcus sanguis,Haemophilus aphrophilus,Actinomyces naeslundii,Fusobacterium nucleatum, andA. actinomycetemcomitans, as well as a strain ofStreptococcus pneumoniae, absorbed up to 80% of anti-PC IgG antibody from human sera. Furthermore, purified anti-PC bound to a PC-bearing strain ofA. actinomycetemcomitansbut only poorly to a PC-negative strain. OxLDL also absorbed anti-PC from human sera, and oxLDL but not LDL reacted with up to 80% of the anti-PC in human sera. Furthermore, purified anti-PC bound directly to oxLDL but not to LDL. The data indicate that PC-containing antigens on a variety of common oral bacteria are cross-reactive with neoantigens expressed in oxLDL. We propose that PC-bearing dental plaque microorganisms may induce an antibody response to PC that could influence the inflammatory response associated with atherosclerosis.