NIH R01 · 2024
Regulation and Manipulation of Oral Type III Interferon Responses by Porphyromonas gingivalis
ABSTRACT This proposal addresses the nature of interferon (IFN)-based antiviral responses at the oral mucosal barrier, and the bacterial factors that impact their efficacy. IFNs are antiviral cytokines that are critical in limiting all aspects of viral infection. We found that Type III IFNs or IFN lambdas (IFN-λs) are preferentially expressed by oral epithelial cells, and IFN-λ-associated signaling confers robust, broad-spectrum, antiviral immunity at the oral mucosal barrier. Bacterial colonizers at barrier sites have the potential to modulate host susceptibility to viral infection. Consistent with this, we found that Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), which is associated with oral dysbiosis…
From the public funding record at NIH RePORTER. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.