Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer/Oral Oncology Program

Anna Dongari-Bagtzoglou, D.D.S., M.S., Ph.D.

Head, Department of Oral Health and Diagnostic Sciences, University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine
Professor and Chair, Division of Periodontology, Department of Oral Health and Diagnostic Sciences, University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine

Specialty

• Periodontology
• Oral Biology

Office Location
University Dentists
UConn Health Center
263 Farmington Avenue
Farmington, CT
Phone: 860-679-3170
Directions

Certification
Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology

Education
Ph.D. in Microbiology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio
Advanced Training Program in Periodontics, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio
M.S. in Oral Biology, School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles
D.D.S., School of Dentistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

Honors and Awards

• 2008 Mentor, Faculty Development Award, UConn Health Center [Effie Ioannidou]
• 2008 Mentor, AADR Neal Chilton Junior Faculty Fellowship in Clinical Research [Effie Ioannidou]
• 2008 Mentor, Elsevier Science Research Award [Hilarie Wilson]
• 2007 Mentor, Ph.D. Student [Cristina Villar] Project Representing the Skeletal, Craniofacial and Oral Biology (SCOB) Program in Graduate Student Research Day
• 2007 Mentor AADR Hatton Awards (Senior category) 1st Place Winner [Cristina Villar]
• 2006 Mentor, Orban Research Competition Finalist [David Kao], The American Academy of Periodontology
• 2006 UConn Health Center Osborn Award Nominee (Excellence in Graduate Teaching in Biomedical Science)
• 2001 Recipient, Advanced Standing D.D.S. Degree, Columbia University
• 2001 Mentor, Birnberg Research Award, Third Place [Denise Chow], Columbia University
• 2000 Mentor, Caulk Dentsply Research Competition Finalist, Basic Science Section, [Bindu Reddi], American Association for Dental Research
• 1999 Recipient, Tarrson Career Development Award for Academic Periodontists, The American Academy of Periodontology Foundation
• 1999 Mentor, Orban Award, First Place [R. Sinha Morton], The American Academy of Periodontology
• 1998 Fellow, Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society
• 1997 Recipient, New Dentist Scientist Award, American Dental Association Health Foundation
• 1997 Recipient, Hatton Award, First Place Post-doctoral, American Association for Dental Research
• 1997 Recipient, Award for Excellence in Graduate Studies in Microbiology, UTHSCSA
• 1994-1996 Recipient, Dentist Scientist Award (Institutional), National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
• 1989-1990 Recipient, Tuition Fellowship, UCLA School of Dentistry
• 1989 Recipient, Colgate-Palmolive Award for Academic Excellence in Dental Education
• 1983-1988 Recipient, Manousion Award, Manousion Foundation of Northern Greece
• 1983-1988 Recipient, Greek National Institute of Scholarships Award, Greek Ministry of Education

Selected Publications
Dwivedi P.P. *, Mallya S., Dongari-Bagtzoglou A.I. A novel immunocompetent murine model for C. albicans-promoted oral epithelial dysplasia. Medical Mycology, In Press.

Dongari-Bagtzoglou A. Pathogenesis of mucosal biofilm infections: challenges and progress. Expert Reviews in Anti-infective Therapy, 2008; 6(2): 201-8.

Laube DM, Dongari-Bagtzoglou AI, Kashleva H, Eskdale J, Gallagher G, Diamond G. Differential regulation of innate immune response genes in gingival epithelial cells stimulated with A. actinomycetemcomitans. Journal of Periodontal Research, 2008; 43(1):116-23.

Dongari-Bagtzoglou AI, Kashleva H. Development of a novel three-dimensional in vitro model of oral Candida infection. Microbial Pathogenesis, 2006; 40(6): 271-278.

Dongari-Bagtzoglou AI. Therapeutic Modulation of Prostanoids and Cytokines in Chronic Diseases. Editorial, Current Pharmaceutical Design, 2006; 12(19): 2327-2328.

View more publications, see Pubmed listing.

Research Interests

Basic Science Research

My laboratory examines host cell-parasite interactions that regulate inflammation and innate immune cell function in oral opportunistic infections. Although we are maintaining an interest in bacterial agents causing aggressive forms of periodontitis (e.g., A. actinomycetemcomitans), recently our main focus has shifted towards host cell-parasite interactions in oropharyngeal candidiasis. This infection is the most frequent opportunistic infection associated with chronically immunosuppressed states such as HIV infection, allotransplantation and others. The long-term goal of our research is to better understand the dynamic innate host defense systems at the tissue, cellular and molecular levels that control Candida infection in the oral mucosa and prevent invasive or disseminated disease. We are specifically interested in the identification of cytokine effectors, which are involved in innate immune cell activation and fungal clearance in the oral mucosa, as well as Candida genes that play a role in inflammatory host responses and tissue damage.

In recent studies we have shown that oral epithelial cells respond to C. albicans challenge in vitro by synthesizing an array of proinflammatory cytokines. We further showed that cytokines generated in this in vitro system act in a paracrine manner to activate uninfected stromal cells. Data from our laboratory also indicate that oral epithelial cell cytokines resulting from their interaction with C. albicans can augment the candidacidal function of peripheral blood neutrophils in vitro. More recently we compared an invasion-deficient C. albicans RIM101 gene knockout strain, and the highly invasive SC5314 and RIM101-complemented strains, in their capacity to trigger proinflammatory cytokine responses by oral epithelial or endothelial cells. Using a high throughput approach we found that highly invasive strains triggered higher levels of most proinflammatory cytokines by host cells than the invasion deficient mutant. These studies reveal the existence of a cytokine communication network between oral epithelial cells, fibroblasts, endothelial cells and innate immune cells in the oral mucosa, and further indicate that the process of invasion by more aggressive pathogens is important for triggering proinflammatory pathways, which activate innate immune cells to clear oral infection.

We recently developed three-dimensional organ culture systems (both keratinized and non-keratinized) as models of infection, incorporating oral epithelial cells and biomatrix-embedded fibroblasts in an attempt to mimic the oral masticatory mucosa and submucosa in vivo. These systems allow cell-to-cell communication that is essential for the growth and differentiation of the component cells that exist in vivo. We are also trying to incorporate an immunological component in this system by adding peripheral blood neutrophils and examining their migratory and candidacidal activities. The novelty and additional benefit from this approach is that the mucosal-submucosal cell dialogue can be monitored simultaneously during infection, taking into account complex cell-cell contact interactions as well as interactions that are carried out via secreted cytokines. We are currently using these in vitro models as tools in identifying Candida virulence factors that are important in host responses and tissue damage. A number of putative virulence genes have recently been examined (RBT4, RIM101, EFG1, CPH1) in collaboration with yeast geneticists who are well recognized in the field (A. Mitchell, A. Johnson). Oral candidiasis is often preceded by biofilm growth of the infecting microorganism on oral biomaterials (implants, dentures). We are now experimenting with a number of mutants in cell wall proteins that regulate biofilm growth, in order to investigate whether host responses and virulence potential are affected by these mutations. We are also exploring applications of these culture systems to biomaterials research in the absence of infection, as they provide a powerful tool in assessing oral mucosal tissue inflammatory responses to dental materials. In future studies we would like to explore the molecular mechanisms underlying hyperplastic, dysplastic or pre-malignant changes in the oral mucosa triggered by chronic or recurrent Candida infection. We are specifically interested in defining the role of Candida-induced inflammation in these clinically important processes.

We are also actively involved in patient-oriented research and will continue to pursue clinical research projects with a focus on inflammation. A recently NIH-funded project in my laboratory involves the study of oral opportunistic infections such as oral candidiasis and chronic periodontitis as modifiers of the systemic inflammatory processes that contribute to chronic graft arterial disease, which ultimately leads to chronic transplant rejection in organ transplant recipients. Specifically, we are investigating the association between the presence of oral infection and histopathologic evidence of chronic organ transplant rejection in these patients. We are also in the process of determining whether the levels of inflammatory cytokines in the serum of transplant patients are related to the presence of oral infection and to the levels of oral mucosal cytokines expressed at infected sites. So far we have recruited 56 transplant patients and 20 healthy controls and have completed oral and systemic analyses in more than half of these subjects. Finally, we joined a team of investigators in a recent clinical research grant submission to our state DPH agency, which was funded and is currently taking off. Our role in this project is to assess the role of the tobacco-induced systemic inflammatory cytokines in adverse neonatal auditory outcomes in smoking mothers. This project will provide the foundation for future fruitful collaborations with a focus in oral health, systemic inflammation and adverse neonatal outcomes.

Languages
English, Greek, French and Spanish