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Overview
A study published in the December 2006 Journal of Dental Research (JDR)  1 confirms that both proteins and messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) can be reliably analyzed from saliva samples. With new techniques for detecting small quantities of salivary components, including proteins and mRNA, the field of salivary diagnostics is emerging as one of dentistry’s most promising areas of research.
It has long been known that protein components are present in saliva, but usually in lower amounts than in serum. However, analysis of the salivary proteome (all the proteins found in saliva) is a laborious task that is not easily adapted to rapid diagnostic tests. In comparison, techniques for analysis of the salivary transcriptome (all the “messenger RNA” [mRNA] in saliva) are well-established and can be efficient.
In the new JDR study, researchers from UCLA reported that both proteins and their counterpart mRNA are detectable in human saliva. The authors reported that, of the function-known proteins identified in saliva, 61 to 70 percent were also present as mRNA transcripts. An earlier study 2 by the same UCLA research team identified 8 mRNAs that were elevated in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma.
As research increases on the utility of the salivary transcriptome for disease detection, there will be greater potential to develop faster, oral-fluid-based diagnostic tools for disease detection. For information on another promising area of salivary diagnostics—screening oral fluids for antibodies against the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)—visit this November 2005 Science in the News feature.
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Footnotes
1Hu S, Yi L, et al. Human saliva proteome and transcriptome. J Dent Res 85(12):1129-1133, 2006. Available at: “http://jdr.iadrjournals.org/cgi/content/ abstract/85/12/1129 ”. Accessed December 13, 2006.
2Li Y, St John MA, Zhou X, Kim Y, Sinha U, Jordan RC, Eisele D, Abemayor E, Elashoff D, Park NH, Wong DT. Salivary transcriptome diagnostics for oral cancer detection. Clin Cancer Res 2004 Dec 15;10(24):8442-50.
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Additional Resources
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Science in the News is a service by the American Dental Association (ADA) to present current information about science topics in the news. The ADA is a professional association of dentists committed to the public's oral health, ethics, science and professional advancement; leading a unified profession through initiatives in advocacy, education, research and the development of standards. As a science-based organization, the ADA's evaluation of the scientific evidence may change as more information becomes available. Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Document Posted December 2006
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