Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40152610›Full record

ArticlemSystems2025

Unveiling the role of phages in shaping the periodontal microbial ecosystem.

Fangfang Yao, Jiajun He, Raphael Nyaruaba, Hongping Wei, Yuhong Li

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in mSystems, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. International journal of molecular sciences · 2026
    Article
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Fangfang Yao *State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
Jiajun He *CAS-Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.ORCID 0009-0006-3293-8089
Raphael NyaruabaWHP Innovation Lab, Wuhan Institute of Virology Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
Hongping WeiWHP Innovation Lab, Wuhan Institute of Virology Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China.ORCID 0000-0002-9948-8880
Yuhong LiState Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China.ORCID 0000-0002-6435-2027

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China 81870756
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The oral microbiome comprises various species and plays a crucial role in maintaining the oral ecosystem and host health. Phages are an important component of the periodontal microbiome, yet our understanding of periodontal phages remains limited. Here, we investigated oral periodontal phages using various advanced bioinformatics tools based on genomes of key periodontitis pathogens. Prophages were found to encode various auxiliary genes that potentially enhance host survival and pathogenicity, including genes involved in carbohydrate metabolism, antibiotic resistance, and immune modulation. We observed cross-species transmission among prophages with a complex network of phage-bacteria interactions. Our findings suggest that prophages play a crucial role in shaping the periodontal microbial ecosystem, influencing microbial community dynamics and the progression of periodontitis.IMPORTANCEIn the context of periodontitis, the ecological dynamics of the microbiome are largely driven by interactions between bacteria and their phages. While the impact of prophages on regulating oral pathogens has been increasingly recognized, their role in modulating periodontal disease remains underexplored. This study reveals that prophages within key periodontitis pathogens contribute significantly to virulence factor dissemination, antibiotic resistance, and host metabolism. By influencing the metabolic capabilities and survival strategies of their bacterial hosts, prophages may act as critical regulators of microbial communities in the oral cavity. Understanding these prophage-mediated interactions is essential not only for unraveling the mechanisms of periodontal disease progression but also for developing innovative therapeutic approaches that target the microbial ecosystem at the genetic level. These insights emphasize the need for more comprehensive studies on the ecological risks posed by prophages in shaping microbial pathogenicity and resistance.

Indexed as

BacteriaBacteriophagesMicrobiotaPeriodontitisHumansMouthProphagesauxiliary genesgenomic diversityperiodontitisphagephage-bacteria interactionsprophage

Identifiers

PMID40152610
PMCPMC12013270

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.