The oral mucosa remains an understudied barrier tissue. This is a site of rich exposure to antigens and commensals, and a tissue susceptible to one of the most prevalent human inflammatory diseases, periodontitis. To aid in understanding tissue-specific pathophysiology, we compile a single-cell transcriptome atlas of human oral mucosa in healthy individuals and patients with periodontitis. We uncover the complex cellular landscape of oral mucosal tissues and identify epithelial and stromal cell populations with inflammatory signatures that promote antimicrobial defenses and neutrophil recruitment. Our findings link exaggerated stromal cell responsiveness with enhanced neutrophil and leukocyte infiltration in periodontitis. Our work provides a resource characterizing the role of tissue stroma in regulating mucosal tissue homeostasis and disease pathogenesis.

口腔粘膜仍然是一种尚未得到充分研究的屏障组织。这是一个富含抗原和共生体的部位，也是一个容易感染人类最流行的炎症性疾病之一——牙周炎的组织。为了帮助理解组织特异性病理生理学，我们编制了健康个体和牙周炎患者口腔粘膜的单细胞转录组图谱。我们揭示了口腔粘膜组织的复杂细胞景观，并鉴定了具有促进抗菌防御和中性粒细胞募集的炎症特征的上皮细胞和基质细胞群。我们的研究结果将过度的基质细胞反应性与牙周炎中中性粒细胞和白细胞浸润的增强联系起来。我们的工作提供了表征组织基质在调节粘膜组织稳态和疾病发病机制中的作用的资源。