The scientific exploration of saliva in the post-proteomic era: from database back to basic function
1Department of Oral Biology, School of Dental Medicine, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA. shruhl@buffalo.edu
Expert Review of Proteomics
|February 2, 2012
Summary
Human saliva contains many proteins, but few disease markers are specific to salivary glands. Future research on the salivary glycoproteome may reveal new oral disease risk predictors.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Oral Biology
- Proteomics
Background:
- The human saliva proteome is largely characterized, with identified disease markers often originating from serum, not salivary glands.
- Saliva is crucial for oral health, yet its proteome lacks established predictors for dental caries or periodontal disease.
- Salivary proteins and their glycans significantly influence oral microbial interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight under-researched areas in the salivary proteome for oral diagnostics.
- To explore the potential of the salivary glycoproteome for identifying novel disease risk markers.
- To stimulate new ideas for predicting oral diseases like dental caries and periodontal disease.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on salivary proteomics and glycoproteomics.
- Analysis of the role of post-translational modifications, particularly glycosylation, in salivary proteins.
- Identification of potential risk markers within highly glycosylated salivary proteins.
Main Results:
- Most current salivary disease markers are not intrinsic salivary gland products.
- Limited progress exists in identifying salivary proteome risk predictors for dental caries and periodontal disease.
- The salivary glycoproteome and post-translational modifications are identified as promising, yet under-studied, areas.
Conclusions:
- Further investigation into the salivary glycoproteome is essential for advancing oral diagnostics.
- Highly glycosylated salivary proteins may harbor crucial risk markers for microbial oral diseases.
- Focusing on intrinsic salivary components offers a promising avenue for future oral disease prediction and prevention strategies.
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