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Bacterial surface proteins involved in cytokine induction. 

This project aims to learn more about the process of alveolar bone loss that occurs in periodontal disease. The inflammation and tissue destruction seen in periodontitis is associated with granulomatous tissue containing inflammatory cells, primarily T and B-lymphocytes, plasma cells and cells of the monocytes/macrophage lineage. These cells are thought to produce a variety of inflammatory mediators. High levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines and have been found in the tissue and gingival crevicular fluid of patients suffering advanced periodontitis

Cell-surface material from oral anaerobes has been shown to be very potent stimulator of the osteolytic cytokines, IL-1, TNF a and IL-6, from peripheral blood mononuclear cells in vitro . Purification and identification of this component may lead to ways of inhibiting osteolysis in periodontal disease.

Students will gain experience in active research laboratories in both the Dental and Medical Schools at the University of Adelaide. A successful applicant for this project can expect to acquire skills in; protein chemistry (eg chromatography and electrophoresis), tissue culture and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

For more information contact:

Dr Neville Gully, 8303 3887

neville.gully@adelaide.edu.au

Proteomic assessment of human, periodontal ligament Fibroblasts and Gingival Fibroblasts

The periodontal ligament is a highly fibrous and vascular tissue that has one of the highest turnover rates in the body. There are many cells present in the periodontal ligament including cementoblasts, osteoblasts, fibroblasts, myofibroblasts, endothelial cells, nerve cells and epithelial cells. Because of the lack of clear-cut phenotypic markers, the lineage characteristics and cellular hierarchies of fibroblast populations within adult mammalian periodontal tissues are yet to be determined.

Based upon microarray technology and subtractive hybridization studies, comparisons of human gingival fibroblasts (HGF) and periodontal ligament fibroblasts (PDLF) have shown that these two cell populations display different gene expression patterns. The transcription of the eukaryote genome alone however, may not reflect the organisation and timing of cellular events and maybe better understood using a combination of genomic and proteomic information.

Proteomics has provided researchers with an alternative way of investigating gene expression by attempting to resolve the entire protein complement of a cell expressed from the genome ie. proteome.

Recently, the sequencing of the human genome and the advent of MALDI spectrometry has given researchers the potential to rapidly identify thousands of proteins that may be expressed by human cells. Currently, human cell reference maps are available from Internet accessible databases, eg. ExPASy and depict cells derived from human, liver, kidney, plasma, red blood cells and transformed cell lines To our knowledge, reference maps have not been produced from human cells derived from oral tissues. The construction of these maps provides the basis for a wide range of research investigations as it gives fundamental information on protein expression and allows comparisons to be made between cells grown under different conditions.

Honours students would be expected to gain considerable experience in areas such as,

1. Tissue culture of cells, including preparation of cell lines from human tissue.
2. Proteomics- Two Dimensional electrophoresis, Mass spectrometry,(MALDI-TOF, and uLC Tandem mass spectrometry) image analysis and data base searching.
3. Assist in the preparation of a training course on Proteomics currently undertaken within the Dental School.

For more information contact

Mr. Peter Zilm, 8303 5676

peter.zilm@adelaide.edu.au