Metataxonomic and metaproteomic profiling of the oral microbiome in oral lichen planus - a pilot study

ABSTRACT

Background

A growing body of evidence demonstrates a different bacterial composition in the oral cavity of patients with oral lichen planus (OLP).

Patients and methods

Buccal swab samples were collected from affected and non-affected sites of six patients with reticular OLP and the healthy oral mucosa of six control subjects. 16S rRNA gene MiSeq sequencing and mass spectrometry-based proteomics were utilised to identify the metataxonomic and metaproteomic profiles of the oral microbiome in both groups.

Results

From the metataxonomic analysis, the most abundant species in the three subgroups were Streptococcus oralis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, accounting for up to 70% of the total population. Principal Coordinates Analysis showed differential clustering of samples from the healthy and OLP groups. ANCOM-BC compositional analysis revealed multiple species (including P. aeruginosa and several species of Veillonella, Prevotella, Streptococcus and Neisseria) significantly over-represented in the control group and several (including Granulicatella elegans, Gemella haemolysans and G. parahaemolysans) in patients with OLP. The metaproteomic data were generally congruent and revealed that several Gemella haemolysans-belonging peptidases and other proteins with inflammatory and virulence potential were present in OLP lesions.

Conclusion

Our data suggest that several bacterial species are associated with OLP. Future studies with larger cohorts should be conducted to determine their role in the aetiology of OLP and evaluate their potential as disease biomarkers.

KEYWORDS:

• Oral cavity
• oral mucosa
• oral lichen planus
• oral microbiome
• oral bacteria
• metataxonomics
• metaproteomics

Acknowledgements

The Proteomics Core Facility at Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg University, performed the proteomics analysis.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author contributions

MB participated in the conception of the study and contributed to the manuscript preparation. MC-D processed the metataxonomic data, conducted and interpreted the analyses, and contributed to the manuscript preparation. AM contributed to the study’s design, the metataxonomic and statistical analyses, and manuscript preparation. BH participated in the study’s design and critically revised the manuscript. AK and RK contributed to the conception and design of the study and participated in the metaproteomic analysis and manuscript preparation. JR-S contributed to the study’s planning, design, and supervision, collected the samples, and participated in the manuscript preparation. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

Supplemental data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/20002297.2022.2161726

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by grants from the Local Research and Development Council, Gothenburg, Sweden