Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

Aggressive periodontitis (AgP) is a severe, rapidly progressive form of periodontitis (gum disease) that occurs in adolescents and young adults. Current research suggests that there may be multiple different causes for AgP. Some data pinpoint issues with patient immune defense mechanisms, others target features of the bacteria and some studies focus on the cornified epithelium (CE), which is the outermost layer of the skin and oral mucosa and has an important role in barrier function. The CE protects against dehydration and pathogen invasion. Loricrin is the most abundant CE protein and its decreased presence has been linked to many skin related disorders; it is considered to be a key protein in the barrier function of the CE. A recent study showed decreased loricrin expression (7x) in patients with AgP compared with those with chronic periodontal disease. We will use human primary skin cells to test the impact of loricrin decrease on barrier function in vitro and later in a mouse model. The objective of our research is to determine if a change in oral epithelial barrier function is a common mechanism in patients with AgP and responsible for the extreme host response that leads to excessive inflammation, bone and tooth loss. Revealing the underling mechanism in AgP will dramatically change early diagnosis of this complex disease and ensure that susceptible patients are treated promptly to reduce long term morbidity and quality of life issues. Mechanistic insight will also enable development of new interventional strategies.