# The role of solitary chemosensory cells in periodontal homeostasis

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · 2021 · $326,488

## Abstract

Project Summary
 Periodontal disease, which results from bacterial infection and inflammation of the gums and bone that
surround and support the teeth, affects nearly half of US adults over 30, with ~9% having severe periodontitis.
The hallmark of periodontitis is destruction of alveolar bone, resulting ultimately in extended tooth loss and oral
disability. Periodontitis is a major oral health problem, particularly among the elderly, that increases the risk for
systemic diseases, including atherosclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and diabetes mellitus. The general goals of
this grant are to determine the role of newly discovered gingival solitary chemosensory cells (gSCCs) in
protecting against periodontitis, to identify the receptors, signaling pathways and effectors involved in innate
immunity evoked by gSCC activation, and to identify compounds that activate gSCCs to harness host innate
immunity to reduce periodontitis.
 Periodontitis results from polymicrobial dysbiosis, which perturbs the ecologically balanced oral
microbiota, and from disruption of the host innate immunity, which also contributes to the destruction of
periodontal tissue. While much is known about how microbes and host immunity contribute to periodontitis, it is
still unclear which gingival cells protect against the disease. Recent studies in several types of mucosae have
identified taste cell-like SCCs as specialized chemosensitive sentinel cells that detect bacteria and evoke host
innate immune responses.
 Most recently, we have identified gSCCs in the mouse gingival junctional epithelium that is part of the
epithelial barrier protecting against bacterial infection of the tooth and surrounding gingiva. gSCCs express
bitter taste receptors along with other taste transduction components, respond to bacterial signaling molecules,
and trigger intrinsic innate immunity to protect against periodontitis. The experiments of this proposal study the
role of gSCCs in gingival/tooth health to determine if gSCCs evoke innate immune responses that prevent
overgrowth of oral bacteria in the gingival mucosa (Aim 1); identify the receptors and signaling components of
gSCCs and the mechanism by which gSCCs promote gingival release of antimicrobial peptides and
inflammatory cytokines (Aim 2); and determine if “on demand “activation of the gSCC signaling pathway
reduces periodontitis (Aim 3). Understanding the initiating receptors and underlying mechanisms of these
responses may lead to new approaches to promote oral health and treat periodontitis.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10542979
- **Project number:** 7R01DE028979-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Robert F. Margolskee
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $326,488
- **Award type:** 7
- **Project period:** 2022-01-01 → 2025-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10542979

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10542979, The role of solitary chemosensory cells in periodontal homeostasis (7R01DE028979-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10542979. Licensed CC0.

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