The submandibular and sublingual glands maintain oral microbial homeostasis through multiple antimicrobial proteins

Oral microbial homeostasis is a key factor affecting oral health, and saliva plays a significant role in maintaining oral microbial homeostasis. The submandibular gland (SMG) and sublingual gland (SLG) together produce the most saliva at rest. Organic ingredients, including antimicrobial proteins, are rich and distinctive and depend on the type of acinar cells in the SMG and SLG. However, the functions of the SMG and SLG in maintaining oral microbial homeostasis have been difficult to identify and distinguish, given their unique anatomical structures. Therefore, we analyzed each gland using single-cell RNA sequencing. Overall design: Single-cell suspensions from freshly isolated submandibular glands and sublingual glands from two female C57BL/6N (6–8 weeks old) mice were generated for scRNA-seq analysis.