# Filifactor alocis-tobacco interactions

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE · 2020 · $195,000

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Tobacco smoking is the leading environmental cause of chronic periodontitis and other bacterial-
induced periodontal diseases. Some components of dental plaque are highly resistant to the plethora
of toxic insults contained in cigarette smoke. One such species is the emergent oral pathogen, Filifactor
alocis. F. alocis has been consistently associated with periodontal diseases epidemiologically; thrives
in tobacco-rich environments, both in vitro and in vivo; and is one of the most transcriptionally active
bacterial species found in the disease-associated microbiome. We will identify (RNAseq), validate
(qPCR) and classify (KEGG, DAVID, etc) those genes that are significantly regulated by cigarette
smoke exposure in three strains of F. alocis. We will then assess in vivo relevance in a germ-free F.
alocis infection smoke exposure model. We shall generate some of the first information to explain how
this emergent periodontopathogen may survive and persist in the oral cavity of smokers. The smoke
exposure chamber will also facilitate the development of a reproducible model of tobacco-induced
and/or –exacerbated bacteria-associated periodontitis. This will represent a much needed tool to the
field.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9851667
- **Project number:** 1R21DE028506-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE
- **Principal Investigator:** David A Scott
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $195,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-04-07 → 2022-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9851667

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9851667, Filifactor alocis-tobacco interactions (1R21DE028506-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9851667. Licensed CC0.

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