{"id":534171,"date":"2026-07-05T12:29:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T12:29:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/534171\/"},"modified":"2026-07-05T12:29:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T12:29:15","slug":"atomic-zoom-brings-gum-disease-bacteria-into-sharp-focus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/534171\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Atomic zoom\u2019 brings gum disease bacteria into sharp focus"},"content":{"rendered":"

The technology at the center of the growing \u2018resolution revolution\u2019 has again showed its value to scientists at Yale by revealing the secrets of gum disease<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Leveraging the advanced imaging techniques of\u00a0electron microscopy\u00a0\u2013 or cryo-EM \u2013 the lab of Jun Liu, professor of Microbial Pathogenesis at the\u00a0Yale Microbial Sciences Institute(Link is external)<\/a>\u00a0(MSI), has visualized the precise shape and structure of the bacterium\u00a0Treponema denticola.<\/p>\n

One of three bacteria of the so-called Red Complex,\u00a0Treponema\u00a0is among the major pathogens that cause chronic\u00a0periodontal (gum) disease, estimated by the Centers for Disease Control to affect around\u00a040%\u00a0of U.S. adults over 30.<\/p>\n

As their name suggests, spirochetes\u00a0are long, thin, corkscrew-shaped bacteria well known for their highly invasive nature and ability to move through viscous tissues and spread.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know their movement is driven by tiny hairs, called flagella,\u201d explained Jiaqi Wang, a postdoctoral associate in the Liu Lab at Yale\u2019s West Campus. \u201cWe observe them wrapped around the cell body in a sort of supercoil, but no one has been able to explain how the flagella assemble and drive the bacteria.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alongside the near-atomic resolution of cryo-EM, Liu has developed a novel \u2018team science\u2019 approach to crack a genetic puzzle that has mystified scientists for 50 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A former immunologist by training but attracted to the MSI\u2019s focus on bacteria, Wang brings new expertise in structural biology. The same curiosity to solve the\u00a0Treponema\u00a0puzzle motivated her co-first author, associate research scientist Wangbiao Guo, to shift from engineering to the field of microscopy. Chuck Sindelar, a cryo-EM expert at the Yale Center for Research Computing, brought critical insights into the asymmetric nature of spirochetal flagella.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Building a new protein sequence\u00a0of the bacterium\u2019s flagellar filament, the scholars were surprised to uncover a two-part assembly quite different from that in other bacteria.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The findings, which are published in\u00a0Nature Communications(Link is external)<\/a>, show the unusual tandem structure propelling the bacteria to drill through our cell tissue and cause gum disease.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile the hair-like filaments are the driving force of many bacteria, in\u00a0Treponema denticola\u00a0we found an asymmetrical assembly made up of a central core and outer sheath enabling the whole spirochete to twist,\u201d said Guo.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cZooming in at the atomic level helps us to see in the clearest way what for a long time looked like a blurry bacteria shape,\u201d said Liu of the recent technological advancements.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow we can see not just what the flagella look like, but precisely how they function in bacteria.\u201d<\/p>\n

West Campus hosts some of the world\u2019s most powerful 3D fluorescence and optical microscopes, allowing researchers to study subcellular dynamics and cellular\u00a0architecture in real-time.<\/p>\n

The technology has led to recent structural breakthroughs such as unravelling how\u00a0Legionella\u00a0bacteria cause disease and creating new defenses against COVID-19.<\/p>\n

Blending diverse expertise with the latest technology, the work of the Liu Lab is expected to guide the way towards potential orthodontic treatment methods.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Source: Yale University<\/a><\/p>\n