Genome-wide Association Study of Periodontal Pathogen Colonization

Pathological shifts of the human microbiome are characteristic of many diseases, including chronic periodontitis. To date, there is limited evidence on host genetic risk loci associated with periodontal pathogen colonization. We conducted a genome-wide association (GWA) study among 1,020 white participants of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, whose periodontal diagnosis ranged from healthy to severe chronic periodontitis, and for whom “checkerboard” DNA-DNA hybridization quantification of 8 periodontal pathogens was performed. We examined 3 traits: “high red” and “high orange” bacterial complexes, and “high” Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa) colonization. Genotyping was performed on the Affymetrix 6.0 platform. Imputation to 2.5 million markers was based on HapMap II-CEU, and a multiple-test correction was applied (genome-wide threshold of p < 5 × 10−8). We detected no genome-wide significant signals. However, 13 loci, including KCNK1, FBXO38, UHRF2, IL33, RUNX2, TRPS1, CAMTA1, and VAMP3, provided suggestive evidence (p < 5 × 10−6) of association. All associations reported for “red” and “orange” complex microbiota, but not for Aa, had the same effect direction in a second sample of 123 African-American participants. None of these polymorphisms was associated with periodontitis diagnosis. Investigations replicating these findings may lead to an improved understanding of the complex nature of host-microbiome interactions that characterizes states of health and disease.