PhageOS – Prophage-Encoded Functional Reprogramming of Veillonella atypica’s Commensal-to-Accessory Pathogen Transition in the Oral Microbiome in Relation to Periodontitis

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease linked to systemic health problems, arising from microbial dysbiosis and imbalanced immune response in the oral cavity. The oral microbiome continually adapts to internal and external changes through horizontal gene transfer, with phage-mediated transduction being one of major mechanisms that can supply bacteria with new genes, altering their functional roles. Notably, Veillonella atypica, generally beneficial oral bacteria, may adapt an accessory pathogen role during periodontitis, though the drivers of its functional shift remain unclear. The goal of this project is to determine how prophage-encoded genes influence V. atypica’s transformation from a commensal to a dysbiotic biofilm-supporting accessory periopathogen. To address this, we will perform comparative genomics analysis across V. atypica strains from plaque and saliva samples from periodontitis patients and healthy controls. We will further examine prophage gene activation under oxidative stress using bulk and single-cell SLAM-seq. Finally, we will test biofilm behavior of selected V. atypica strains under oxidative stress and baseline conditions. Findings of this project will be disseminated through two open-access scientific manuscripts, two presentations at leading international conferences, multiple dataset deposition into public repositories, as well as through activities, aimed at the broader public.

Planned results

• Original research articles published in the Q1 or Q2 publications listed in the Web of Science or SCOPUS databases – 2
• Other peer-reviewed original research articles in other scientific journals and collections of articles (including conference article collections), with an international editorial board – 2
• Scientific databases and datasets prepared according to the FAIR principles – 4

• Other new product or technology, software copyrights (including methods, prototypes, treatment and diagnostic methods not to be commercialised, etc.) – 1

• Project proposal submitted in an international call for research and development projects (competition abroad or submitted by an international consortium) – 1
• Project proposal submitted in a Latvian call for research and development projects – 1
• Other project results according to the specific nature of the project complementary to those listed above (including pre-prints) – 2 preprints

Scientific Team

• Alisa Kazarina – lead researcher, principal investigator
• Bhupesh Kumar Prusty – lead researcher
• Kārlis Rācenis – lead researcher