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Infection and Immunity, September 2006, p. 5284-5291, Vol. 74, No. 9
0019-9567/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.02016-05
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Role of Polymorphonuclear Leukocyte-Derived Serine Proteinases in Defense against Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans

Susanne F. de Haar,1 Pieter S. Hiemstra,2 Martijn T. J. M. van Steenbergen,3 Vincent Everts,4 and Wouter Beertsen1*

Department of Periodontology, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam, Universiteit van Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands,1 Department of Pulmonology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands,2 Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery/Oral Pathology, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam, and VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands,3 Department of Oral Cell Biology, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam, Universiteit van Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands4

Received 15 December 2005/ Returned for modification 29 January 2006/ Accepted 22 June 2006

Periodontitis is a chronic destructive infection of the tooth-supportive tissues, which is caused by pathogenic bacteria such as Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans. A severe form of periodontitis is found in Papillon-Lefèvre syndrome (PLS), an inheritable disease caused by loss-of-function mutations in the cathepsin C gene. Recently, we demonstrated that these patients lack the activity of the polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN)-derived serine proteinases elastase, cathepsin G, and proteinase 3. In the present study we identified possible pathways along which serine proteinases may be involved in the defense against A. actinomycetemcomitans. Serine proteinases are capable to convert the PMN-derived hCAP-18 into LL-37, an antimicrobial peptide with activity against A. actinomycetemcomitans. We found that the PMNs of PLS patients released lower levels of LL-37. Furthermore, because of their deficiency in serine proteases, the PMNs of PLS patients were incapable of neutralizing the leukotoxin produced by this pathogen, which resulted in increased cell damage. Finally, the capacity of PMNs from PLS patients to kill A. actinomycetemcomitans in an anaerobic environment, such as that found in the periodontal pocket, seemed to be reduced. Our report demonstrates a mechanism that suggests a direct link between an inheritable defect in PMN functioning and difficulty in coping with a periodontitis-associated pathogen.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Periodontology, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), Louwesweg 1, 1066 EA Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Phone: 31-20-5188300. Fax: 31-20-5188547. E-mail: w.beertsen{at}acta.nl.

Editor: J. B. Bliska

Infection and Immunity, September 2006, p. 5284-5291, Vol. 74, No. 9
0019-9567/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.02016-05
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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