ArticlePLoS pathogens2020
Periodontal pathogens promote cancer aggressivity via TLR/MyD88 triggered activation of Integrin/FAK signaling that is therapeutically reversible by a probiotic bacteriocin.
Article in PLoS pathogens, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 83 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
83 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 120 citations in OpenAlex.
- Demystifying the link between periodontitis and oral cancer: a systematic review integrating clinical, pre-clinical, and in vitro data.Cancer metastasis reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Association of Microbiome with Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Systematic Review of the Metagenomic Studies.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- Microbiota and head and neck cancers: Mechanistic insights and translational potential.Virulence · 2026Review
- The oral microbiota in oral squamous cell carcinoma: unravelling mechanisms and clinical potential.Cancer cell international · 2026Review
- Harmane induces apoptosis through RRM2B and suppresses colorectal cancer progression.mSystems · 2026Article
- The Silent Link: Exploring the Impact of Periodontal Diseases on Head and Neck Carcinogenesis.Clinical and experimental dental research · 2026Review
- Establishment of a coculture system for Porphyromonas gingivalis and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma using spheroid culture and LATS inhibition.FEBS open bio · 2026Article
- Nisin bacteriocin blocks T. denticola-triggered MMP2 activation and pathogen internalization via TLR2.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Association of Porphyromonas gingivalis-infected oral squamous cell carcinoma cell-secreted exosomal miR-3648-1-p5 with tumor progression.Cancer cell international · 2026Article
- Proteomics of Periodontitis-Associated Bacteria and Its Link to Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Contemporaneous Review.International dental journal · 2026Review
- In Reply to Yeong SK et al: 'Proteomics of Periodontitis Associated Bacteria'.International dental journal · 2026Article
- Research on microbial communities in tumor microenvironments: cutting-edge dynamics and future trends from a bibliometric perspective.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Bacteriome-based oral dysbiosis index in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma.Journal of oral microbiology · 2026Article
- A Murine Floor-of-Mouth Model for Investigation of Fusobacterium nucleatum-Associated Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) · 2026Article
- Metabolic crosstalk between oral microbiota and the host in OSCC: emerging roles of microbial metabolites in tumor initiation and progression.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026Review
- Oral Microbiota and Carcinogenesis: Exploring the Systemic Impact of Oral Pathogens.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- The potential role of genus Treponema in carcinogenesis with a focus on oral squamous cell carcinoma: a scoping review of the evidence.BMC oral health · 2025Article
- The role of probiotics in controlling oral biofilm formation and mitigating oral squamous-cell carcinoma risk.Archives of microbiology · 2025Review
- Fusobacterium in the microbiome: from health to disease across the oral-gut axis and beyond.NPJ biofilms and microbiomes · 2025Review
- The Role of Oral and Gut Microbiota in Bone Health: Insights from Bacterial Extracellular Vesicles.Microorganisms · 2025Review
23 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Epidemiological studies reveal significant associations between periodontitis and oral cancer. However, knowledge about the contribution of periodontal pathogens to oral cancer and potential regulatory mechanisms involved is limited. Previously, we showed that nisin, a bacteriocin and commonly used food preservative, reduced oral cancer tumorigenesis and extended the life expectancy in tumor-bearing mice. In addition, nisin has antimicrobial effects on key periodontal pathogens. Thus, the purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that key periodontal pathogens (Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola, and Fusobacterium nucleatum) promote oral cancer via specific host-bacterial interactions, and that bacteriocin/nisin therapy may modulate these responses. All three periodontal pathogens enhanced oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cell migration, invasion, tumorsphere formation, and tumorigenesis in vivo, without significantly affecting cell proliferation or apoptosis. In contrast, oral commensal bacteria did not affect OSCC cell migration. Pathogen-enhanced OSCC cell migration was mediated via integrin alpha V and FAK activation, since stably blocking alpha V or FAK expression abrogated these effects. Nisin inhibited these pathogen-mediated processes. Further, Treponema denticola induced TLR2 and 4 and MyD88 expression. Stable suppression of MyD88 significantly inhibited Treponema denticola-induced FAK activation and abrogated pathogen-induced migration. Together, these data demonstrate that periodontal pathogens contribute to a highly aggressive cancer phenotype via crosstalk between TLR/MyD88 and integrin/FAK signaling. Nisin can modulate these pathogen-mediated effects, and thus has therapeutic potential as an antimicrobial and anti-tumorigenic agent.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.