Treponema denticola stimulates Oncostatin M cytokine release and de novo synthesis in neutrophils and macrophages.

Oncostatin M (OSM) is a pleiotropic cytokine elevated in a number of inflammatory conditions including periodontal disease. OSM is produced by a variety of immune cells and has diverse functionality such as regulation of metabolic processes, cell differentiation, and the inflammatory response to bacterial pathogens. The oral cavity is under constant immune surveillance including complementary neutrophil and macrophage populations, due to a persistent symbiotic bacterial presence. Periodontal disease is characterized by a dysbiotic bacterial community, with an abundance of Treponema denticola. Despite strong associations with severe periodontal disease, the source and mechanism of the release of OSM have not been defined in the oral cavity. We show that OSM protein is elevated in the gingival epithelium and immune cell infiltrate during periodontal disease. Furthermore, salivary and oral neutrophil OSM is elevated in correlation with the presence of T. denticola. In an air pouch infection model, T. denticola stimulated higher levels of OSM than the oral pathogen Porphorymonas gingivalis, despite differential recruitment of innate immune cells suggesting T. denticola has distinct properties to elevate OSM levels. OSM release and transcription were increased in isolated human blood, oral neutrophils, or macrophages exposed to T. denticola in vitro as measured by ELISA, qPCR, and microscopy. Using transcription, translation, and actin polymerization inhibition, we found that T. denticola stimulates both OSM release through degranulation and de novo synthesis in neutrophils and also OSM release and synthesis in macrophages. Differential induction of OSM by T. denticola may promote clinical periodontal disease.