Induced surface proteins of Staphylococcus [corrected] epidermidis adhering to titanium implant substrata

Abstract

Objective: Staphylococcus epidermidis, as a primary colonizer, is strongly associated with infections of (dental) implants (i.e., peri-implantitis), but little is known about the surface proteome of this bacterium. For the identification of bacterial adhesins, this study investigated the surface proteome of S. epidermidis adhering directly to titanium implant substrata.

Materials and methods: S. epidermidis strain ATTC 35984 was cultured either planktonically or on titanium implant specimens. The surface proteomes were isolated by mutanolysin digestion, and proteins were separated by 2D gel electrophoreses to reveal highly expressed proteins only. Protein spots were visualized by silver staining and proteins were identified by mass spectrometry.

Results: Surface proteome analyses of S. epidermidis on titanium identified six expressed proteins. Three proteins were highly expressed on the titanium implants including accumulation-associated protein Q8CQD9. These specific proteins could be potential pathogenicity factors of bacteria in peri-implant biofilms.

Conclusion: For the first time, our study identified S. epidermidis surface proteins, which are expressed after adhesion to titanium implant materials.

Clinical relevance: Our study reveals possible candidates for a newly protein-based vaccine against peri-implantitis.

Keywords: Peri-implantitis; Staphylococcus epidermidis; Surface proteome; Titanium implants.