Porphyromonas gingivalis, periodontitis and oral cancer; The possible role of epigenetics in cancer development

Abstract

Porphyromonas gingivalis is an anaerobic bacterium heavily associated with periodontitis, a chronic inflammatory disease resulting in the irreversible destruction of the periodontium. With a vast array of virulence factors at its disposal P. gingivalis alters the surrounding environment according to its needs, promoting a dysbiotic microbiologic milieu that may also play a role in local carcinogenesis. There is currently an accumulating body of evidence regarding P. gingivalis’ involvement in several types of orodigestive cancers, such as oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), oesophageal cancer and pancreatic cancer. Recent research has also discovered that bacteria are able to directly intervene with the epigenetic landscape of infected host cells, in a manner appropriately nicknamed pathoepigenetics. In the following article we will discuss P. gingivalis` virulence factors and the bacterium’s associations with cancer development, with a main focus on epigenetics. Furthermore, we will discuss possible cancer mechanisms in this context, from the knowledge of similar bacteria-associated cancers. Starting out however, we will lay down the very basics of DNA-organization and epigenetic regulation and also give a brief summary of periodontitis.