Shemesh, M., Institute of Dental Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, Hebrew University-Hadassah, Jerusalem, Israel
Steinberg, D., Institute of Dental Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, Hebrew University-Hadassah, Jerusalem, Israel, Institute of Dental Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, Hebrew University-Hadassah, P.O. Box 12272, Jerusalem 91120, Israel

Aims: The objective of the present study was to explore the role of immobilized fructosyltransferase (FTF) in adhesion process. Methods and Results: We investigated real-time biospecific interactions between several types of oral bacteria and recombinant FTF immobilized on a biosensor chip, using surface plasmon resonance technology. Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sobrinus and Actinomyces viscosus demonstrated significant binding to FTF. Actinomyces viscosus had a greater binding to FTF, with 373 Resonance Units (RU), than the other tested bacteria. The binding level to FTF of Strep. sobrinus was 320 RU, whereas Strep. mutans and Streptococcus salivarious show binding of 296 and 245 RU, respectively. The binding sensograms displayed different profiles for the tested bacteria at various cell density, suggesting a different affinity to immobilized FTF. Conclusions: The results from this study suggest that FTF may influence bacterial adherence and colonization of the dental biofilm. Significance and Impact of the Study: The biomolecular interaction analysis enables real-time monitoring of the interaction between adhesions of intact bacteria and their ligands, which might be crucial in the initial phase of biofilm development in vivo. © 2006 The Society for Applied Microbiology.