Assessment of bacteria gene expression changes in host oral microbiome during stress.A pilot study

Abstract

The key objective of this study was to assess changes in the oral microbiome in relation to acute stress. Saliva samples were collected to analyze stress hormones and bacterial transcriptomic profiles. The participants underwent a socially evaluative cold pressor task (SECPT), reliably activating the HPA axis and eliciting pain and physiological responses in the participants, respectively (Skoluda et al., 2015). The level of salivary cortisol is related to the activation of the HPA axis, and serves as a reliable biomarker for stress assessment (Dickerson & Kemeny, 2004; Ivkovic, Bozovic, Racic, Popovic-Grubac & Davidovic, 2015). The transcriptome is constantly responding to environmental conditions, and stress can be a major influence. By profiling the bacterial transcriptome in relation to the stressor, we could gain information about which genes are being actively expressed. If we are able to develop a protocol for capturing correlations between changes in oral bacterial transcriptome and stress, in search of new biomarkers, it will provide the field with a novel tool in measuring stress using saliva. Furthermore, it may be used to assess individuals at risk of developing chronic stress and depression.

Keywords: Gut-microbiota-brain axis, oral microbiome, transcriptomics, HPA-axis