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Updated: Feb 17, 2026

Porphyromonas gingivalis as a Model Organism for Assessing Interaction of Anaerobic Bacteria with Host Cells
Published on: December 17, 2015
[Research progress on the type Ⅸ secretion system of Porphyromonas gingivalis]
Zhang Jinmei1, Zhao Lei1, Wu Yafei1
1State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Dept. of Periodontics, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.
Abstract:
In recent years, the study found that Porphyromonas gingivalis type Ⅸ secretion system (T9SS) is a novel protein secretion system, also known as Por secretion system (PorSS). Unlike the eight protein secretion systems found in the past, the system is a polyprotein complex found only in Bacteroides. The secreted proteins have both N- and C-terminus, where the former includes Sec-dependent type Ⅰ signals peptide, and the latter contains conserved domains (C-terminal conserved domain, CTD). Porphyromonas gingivalis T9SS includes proteins such as intima, outer membrane, cytoplasm, and cell cycle, including at least 34 proteins containing CTD. Porphyromonas gingivalis T9SS is involved in regulating associated virulence factors including gingivin, fimbriae, lipopolysaccharide, HBP35, CPG70 protein and peptidyl-arginine deiminase. These CTD-containing virulence proteins are localized by T9SS and then released to the extracellular domain, thereby destroying periodontal tissue. Therefore, this review summarizes the research progress on the T9SS of Porphyromonas gingivalis.
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