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Litschko C, Di Domenico V, Schulze J, Li S, Ovchinnikova OG, Voskuilen T, Bethe A, Cifuente JO, Marina A, Budde I, Mast TA, Sulewska M, Berger M, Buettner FFR, Lowary TL, Whitfield C, Codée JDC, Schubert M, Guerin ME, Fiebig T. Transition transferases prime bacterial capsule polymerization. Nat Chem Biol 2024:10.1038/s41589-024-01664-8. [PMID: 38951648 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-024-01664-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/03/2024]
Abstract
Capsules are long-chain carbohydrate polymers that envelop the surfaces of many bacteria, protecting them from host immune responses. Capsule biosynthesis enzymes are potential drug targets and valuable biotechnological tools for generating vaccine antigens. Despite their importance, it remains unknown how structurally variable capsule polymers of Gram-negative pathogens are linked to the conserved glycolipid anchoring these virulence factors to the bacterial membrane. Using Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae as an example, we demonstrate that CpsA and CpsC generate a poly(glycerol-3-phosphate) linker to connect the glycolipid with capsules containing poly(galactosylglycerol-phosphate) backbones. We reconstruct the entire capsule biosynthesis pathway in A. pleuropneumoniae serotypes 3 and 7, solve the X-ray crystal structure of the capsule polymerase CpsD, identify its tetratricopeptide repeat domain as essential for elongating poly(glycerol-3-phosphate) and show that CpsA and CpsC stimulate CpsD to produce longer polymers. We identify the CpsA and CpsC product as a wall teichoic acid homolog, demonstrating similarity between the biosynthesis of Gram-positive wall teichoic acid and Gram-negative capsules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christa Litschko
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research, Partner Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Hannover, Germany
| | - Valerio Di Domenico
- Structural Glycobiology Laboratory, Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Cruces University Hospital, Barakaldo, Spain
- Structural Glycobiology Laboratory, Department of Structural and Molecular Biology; Molecular Biology Institute of Barcelona, Spanish National Research Council, Barcelona Science Park, Tower R, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Julia Schulze
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Sizhe Li
- Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Olga G Ovchinnikova
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Thijs Voskuilen
- Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Andrea Bethe
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Javier O Cifuente
- Structural Glycobiology Laboratory, Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Cruces University Hospital, Barakaldo, Spain
- Structural Glycobiology Laboratory, Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences, Basque Research and Technology Alliance, Bizkaia Technology Park, Derio, Spain
| | - Alberto Marina
- Structural Glycobiology Laboratory, Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences, Basque Research and Technology Alliance, Bizkaia Technology Park, Derio, Spain
| | - Insa Budde
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Tim A Mast
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Małgorzata Sulewska
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Monika Berger
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Falk F R Buettner
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
- Proteomics, Institute of Theoretical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Todd L Lowary
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Biochemical Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chris Whitfield
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jeroen D C Codée
- Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Mario Schubert
- Department of Biosciences and Medical Biology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
- Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marcelo E Guerin
- Structural Glycobiology Laboratory, Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Cruces University Hospital, Barakaldo, Spain.
- Structural Glycobiology Laboratory, Department of Structural and Molecular Biology; Molecular Biology Institute of Barcelona, Spanish National Research Council, Barcelona Science Park, Tower R, Barcelona, Spain.
- Structural Glycobiology Laboratory, Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences, Basque Research and Technology Alliance, Bizkaia Technology Park, Derio, Spain.
- Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain.
| | - Timm Fiebig
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
- German Center for Infection Research, Partner Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Hannover, Germany.
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2
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Sulewska M, Berger M, Damerow M, Schwarzer D, Buettner FFR, Bethe A, Taft MH, Bakker H, Mühlenhoff M, Gerardy-Schahn R, Priem B, Fiebig T. Extending the enzymatic toolbox for heparosan polymerization, depolymerization, and detection. Carbohydr Polym 2023; 319:121182. [PMID: 37567694 DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.121182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023]
Abstract
Heparosan is an acidic polysaccharide expressed as a capsule polymer by pathogenic and commensal bacteria, e.g. by E. coli K5. As a precursor in the biosynthesis of heparan sulfate and heparin, heparosan has a high biocompatibility and is thus of interest for pharmaceutical applications. However, due to its low immunogenicity, developing antibodies against heparosan and detecting the polymer in biological samples has been challenging. In this study, we exploited the enzyme repertoire of E. coli K5 and the E. coli K5-specific bacteriophage ΦK5B for the controlled synthesis and depolymerization of heparosan. A fluorescently labeled heparosan nonamer was used as a priming acceptor to study the elongation mechanism of the E. coli K5 heparosan polymerases KfiA and KfiC. We could demonstrate that the enzymes act in a distributive manner, producing labeled heparosan of low dispersity. The enzymatically synthesized heparosan was a useful tool to identify the tailspike protein KflB of ΦK5B as heparosan lyase and to characterize its endolytic depolymerization mechanism. Most importantly, using site-directed mutagenesis and rational construct design, we generated an inactive version of KflB for the detection of heparosan in ELISA-based assays, on blots, and on bacterial and mammalian cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Małgorzata Sulewska
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany; Centre de Recherche sur les Macromolécules Végétales, Groupe Chimie et Biotechnologie des Oligosaccharides, 601 rue de la Chimie, BP 53X, 38041 Grenoble, Cedex 09, France.
| | - Monika Berger
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
| | - Manuela Damerow
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - David Schwarzer
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
| | - Falk F R Buettner
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
| | - Andrea Bethe
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
| | - Manuel H Taft
- Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
| | - Hans Bakker
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
| | - Martina Mühlenhoff
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
| | - Rita Gerardy-Schahn
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
| | - Bernard Priem
- Centre de Recherche sur les Macromolécules Végétales, Groupe Chimie et Biotechnologie des Oligosaccharides, 601 rue de la Chimie, BP 53X, 38041 Grenoble, Cedex 09, France.
| | - Timm Fiebig
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
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Cifuente JO, Schulze J, Bethe A, Di Domenico V, Litschko C, Budde I, Eidenberger L, Thiesler H, Ramón Roth I, Berger M, Claus H, D'Angelo C, Marina A, Gerardy-Schahn R, Schubert M, Guerin ME, Fiebig T. A multi-enzyme machine polymerizes the Haemophilus influenzae type b capsule. Nat Chem Biol 2023; 19:865-877. [PMID: 37277468 PMCID: PMC10299916 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-023-01324-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Bacterial capsules have critical roles in host-pathogen interactions. They provide a protective envelope against host recognition, leading to immune evasion and bacterial survival. Here we define the capsule biosynthesis pathway of Haemophilus influenzae serotype b (Hib), a Gram-negative bacterium that causes severe infections in infants and children. Reconstitution of this pathway enabled the fermentation-free production of Hib vaccine antigens starting from widely available precursors and detailed characterization of the enzymatic machinery. The X-ray crystal structure of the capsule polymerase Bcs3 reveals a multi-enzyme machine adopting a basket-like shape that creates a protected environment for the synthesis of the complex Hib polymer. This architecture is commonly exploited for surface glycan synthesis by both Gram-negative and Gram-positive pathogens. Supported by biochemical studies and comprehensive 2D nuclear magnetic resonance, our data explain how the ribofuranosyltransferase CriT, the phosphatase CrpP, the ribitol-phosphate transferase CroT and a polymer-binding domain function as a unique multi-enzyme assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier O Cifuente
- Structural Glycobiology Laboratory, Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Cruces University Hospital, Barakaldo, Spain
- Structural Glycobiology Laboratory, Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CIC bioGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Bizkaia Technology Park, Derio, Spain
| | - Julia Schulze
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Andrea Bethe
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Valerio Di Domenico
- Structural Glycobiology Laboratory, Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Cruces University Hospital, Barakaldo, Spain
| | - Christa Litschko
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Insa Budde
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Lukas Eidenberger
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Hauke Thiesler
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Isabel Ramón Roth
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Monika Berger
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Heike Claus
- Institute for Hygiene and Microbiology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Cecilia D'Angelo
- Structural Glycobiology Laboratory, Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Cruces University Hospital, Barakaldo, Spain
- Structural Glycobiology Laboratory, Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CIC bioGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Bizkaia Technology Park, Derio, Spain
| | - Alberto Marina
- Structural Glycobiology Laboratory, Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CIC bioGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Bizkaia Technology Park, Derio, Spain
| | - Rita Gerardy-Schahn
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Mario Schubert
- Department of Biosciences and Medical Biology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Marcelo E Guerin
- Structural Glycobiology Laboratory, Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Cruces University Hospital, Barakaldo, Spain.
- Structural Glycobiology Laboratory, Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CIC bioGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Bizkaia Technology Park, Derio, Spain.
- Ikerbasque Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain.
| | - Timm Fiebig
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
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The biosynthetic origin of ribofuranose in bacterial polysaccharides. Nat Chem Biol 2022; 18:530-537. [PMID: 35393575 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-022-01006-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Bacterial surface polysaccharides are assembled by glycosyltransferase enzymes that typically use sugar nucleotide or polyprenyl-monophosphosugar activated donors. Characterized representatives exist for many monosaccharides but neither the donor nor the corresponding glycosyltransferases have been definitively identified for ribofuranose residues found in some polysaccharides. Klebsiella pneumoniae O-antigen polysaccharides provided prototypes to identify dual-domain ribofuranosyltransferase proteins catalyzing a two-step reaction sequence. Phosphoribosyl-5-phospho-D-ribosyl-α-1-diphosphate serves as the donor for a glycan acceptor-specific phosphoribosyl transferase (gPRT), and a more promiscuous phosphoribosyl-phosphatase (PRP) then removes the residual 5'-phosphate. The 2.5-Å resolution crystal structure of a dual-domain ribofuranosyltransferase ortholog from Thermobacillus composti revealed a PRP domain that conserves many features of the phosphatase members of the haloacid dehalogenase family, and a gPRT domain that diverges substantially from all previously characterized phosphoribosyl transferases. The gPRT represents a new glycosyltransferase fold conserved in the most abundant ribofuranosyltransferase family.
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Litschko C, Budde I, Berger M, Bethe A, Schulze J, Alcala Orozco EA, Mahour R, Goettig P, Führing JI, Rexer T, Gerardy-Schahn R, Schubert M, Fiebig T. Mix-and-Match System for the Enzymatic Synthesis of Enantiopure Glycerol-3-Phosphate-Containing Capsule Polymer Backbones from Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis, and Bibersteinia trehalosi. mBio 2021; 12:e0089721. [PMID: 34076489 PMCID: PMC8262930 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00897-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Capsule polymers are crucial virulence factors of pathogenic bacteria and are used as antigens in glycoconjugate vaccine formulations. Some Gram-negative pathogens express poly(glycosylglycerol phosphate) capsule polymers that resemble Gram-positive wall teichoic acids and are synthesized by TagF-like capsule polymerases. So far, the biotechnological use of these enzymes for vaccine developmental studies was restricted by the unavailability of enantiopure CDP-glycerol, one of the donor substrates required for polymer assembly. Here, we use CTP:glycerol-phosphate cytidylyltransferases (GCTs) and TagF-like polymerases to synthesize the poly(glycosylglycerol phosphate) capsule polymer backbones of the porcine pathogen Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, serotypes 3 and 7 (App3 and App7). GCT activity was confirmed by high-performance liquid chromatography, and polymers were analyzed using comprehensive nuclear magnetic resonance studies. Solid-phase synthesis protocols were established to allow potential scale-up of polymer production. In addition, one-pot reactions exploiting glycerol-kinase allowed us to start the reaction from inexpensive, widely available substrates. Finally, this study highlights that multidomain TagF-like polymerases can be transformed by mutagenesis of active site residues into single-action transferases, which in turn can act in trans to build-up structurally new polymers. Overall, our protocols provide enantiopure, nature-identical capsule polymer backbones from App2, App3, App7, App9, and App11, Neisseria meningitidis serogroup H, and Bibersteinia trehalosi serotypes T3 and T15. IMPORTANCE Economic synthesis platforms for the production of animal vaccines could help reduce the overuse and misuse of antibiotics in animal husbandry, which contributes greatly to the increase of antibiotic resistance. Here, we describe a highly versatile, easy-to-use mix-and-match toolbox for the generation of glycerol-phosphate-containing capsule polymers that can serve as antigens in glycoconjugate vaccines against Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae and Bibersteinia trehalosi, two pathogens causing considerable economic loss in the swine, sheep, and cattle industries. We have established scalable protocols for the exploitation of a versatile enzymatic cascade with modular architecture, starting with the preparative-scale production of enantiopure CDP-glycerol, a precursor for a multitude of bacterial surface structures. Thereby, our approach not only allows the synthesis of capsule polymers but might also be exploitable for the (chemo)enzymatic synthesis of other glycerol-phosphate-containing structures such as Gram-positive wall teichoic acids or lipoteichoic acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christa Litschko
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Insa Budde
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Monika Berger
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Andrea Bethe
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Julia Schulze
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - E. Alberto Alcala Orozco
- Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, Bioprocess Engineering, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Reza Mahour
- Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, Bioprocess Engineering, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Peter Goettig
- Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Jana Indra Führing
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
- Fraunhofer International Consortium for Anti-Infective Research (iCAIR), Hannover, Germany
| | - Thomas Rexer
- Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, Bioprocess Engineering, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Rita Gerardy-Schahn
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Mario Schubert
- Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Timm Fiebig
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
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