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Qin J, Hong Y, Totsika M. Determining glycosyltransferase functional order via lethality due to accumulated O-antigen intermediates, exemplified with Shigella flexneri O-antigen biosynthesis. Appl Environ Microbiol 2024; 90:e0220323. [PMID: 38747588 PMCID: PMC11218652 DOI: 10.1128/aem.02203-23] [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: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 06/19/2024] Open
Abstract
The O antigen (OAg) polysaccharide is one of the most diverse surface molecules of Gram-negative bacterial pathogens. The structural classification of OAg, based on serological typing and sequence analysis, is important in epidemiology and the surveillance of outbreaks of bacterial infections. Despite the diverse chemical structures of OAg repeating units (RUs), the genetic basis of RU assembly remains poorly understood and represents a major limitation in assigning gene functions in polysaccharide biosynthesis. Here, we describe a genetic approach to interrogate the functional order of glycosyltransferases (GTs). Using Shigella flexneri as a model, we established an initial glycosyltransferase (IT)-controlled system, which allows functional order allocation of the subsequent GT in a 2-fold manner as follows: (i) first, by reporting the growth defects caused by the sequestration of UndP through disruption of late GTs and (ii) second, by comparing the molecular sizes of stalled OAg intermediates when each putative GT is disrupted. Using this approach, we demonstrate that for RfbF and RfbG, the GT involved in the assembly of S. flexneri backbone OAg RU, RfbG, is responsible for both the committed step of OAg synthesis and the third transferase for the second L-Rha. We also show that RfbF functions as the last GT to complete the S. flexneri OAg RU backbone. We propose that this simple and effective genetic approach can be also extended to define the functional order of enzymatic synthesis of other diverse polysaccharides produced both by Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria.IMPORTANCEThe genetic basis of enzymatic assembly of structurally diverse O antigen (OAg) repeating units (RUs) in Gram-negative pathogens is poorly understood, representing a major limitation in our understanding of gene functions for the synthesis of bacterial polysaccharides. We present a simple genetic approach to confidently assign glycosyltransferase (GT) functions and the order in which they act during assembly of the OAg RU. We employed this approach to determine the functional order of GTs involved in Shigella flexneri OAg assembly. This approach can be generally applied in interrogating GT functions encoded by other bacterial polysaccharides to advance our understanding of diverse gene functions in the biosynthesis of polysaccharides, key knowledge in advancing biosynthetic polysaccharide production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jilong Qin
- Centre for Immunology and Infection Control, School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Yaoqin Hong
- Centre for Immunology and Infection Control, School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Max Planck Queensland Centre, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane City, Queensland, Australia
| | - Makrina Totsika
- Centre for Immunology and Infection Control, School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Max Planck Queensland Centre, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane City, Queensland, Australia
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Melamed J, Brockhausen I. Biosynthesis of the O antigen of pathogenic Escherichia coli O157:H7. Characterization of α1,4-Fuc-transferase WbdO. Glycobiology 2023; 33:165-175. [PMID: 36715215 DOI: 10.1093/glycob/cwac079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2022] [Revised: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The O157:H7 strain of Escherichia coli is responsible for frequent outbreaks of hemorrhagic colitis worldwide. Its lipopolysaccharide is a virulence factor and contains an O antigen having repeating units with the tetrasaccharide structure [2-D-PerNAcα1-3-L-Fucα1-4-D-Glcβ1-3-D-GalNAcα1-]n. Genes encoding glycosyltransferases WbdN, WbdO, and WbdP are responsible for the biosynthesis of this repeating unit. We have previously characterized the second enzyme in the pathway, WbdN, which transfers Glc in β1-3 linkage to GalNAcα-O-PO3-PO3-(CH2)11-O-Ph (GalNAc-PP-PhU). In this work, Fuc-transferase WbdO from E. coli O157:H7 expressed in BL21 bacteria was characterized using the product of WbdN as the acceptor substrate. We showed that WbdO is specific for GDP-β-L-Fuc as the donor substrate. Compounds that contained terminal Glc or Glcβ1-3GalNAc structures but lacked the diphosphate group did not serve as acceptor substrates. The structure of the WbdO product was identified by mass spectrometry and Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) as L-Fucα1-4-D-Glcβ1-3-D-GalNAc PP-PhU. WbdO is an unusual bivalent metal ion-dependent Fuc-transferase classified as an inverting GT2 family enzyme that has 2 conserved sequences near the N-terminus. The Asp37 residue within the 36VDGGSTD42 sequence was found to be essential for catalysis. Mutation of Asp68 to Ala within the conserved 67YDAMNK72 sequence resulted in a 3-fold increase in activity. These studies show that WbdOO157 is a highly specific Fuc-transferase with little homology to other characterized Fuc-transferases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob Melamed
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, 18 Stuart Street, Kingston, ON K7L3N6, Canada
| | - Inka Brockhausen
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, 18 Stuart Street, Kingston, ON K7L3N6, Canada
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3
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Furevi A, Udekwu KI, Widmalm G. Structural elucidation of the O-antigen polysaccharide from Escherichia coli O125ac and biosynthetic aspects thereof. Glycobiology 2022; 32:1089-1100. [PMID: 36087289 PMCID: PMC9680116 DOI: 10.1093/glycob/cwac061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli O125, the cause of infectious diarrheal disease, is comprised of two serogroups, viz., O125ab and O125ac, which display the aggregative adherence pattern with epithelial cells. Herein, the structure of the O-antigen polysaccharide from E. coli O125ac:H6 has been elucidated. Sugar analysis revealed the presence of fucose, mannose, galactose and N-acetyl-galactosamine as major components. Unassigned 1H and 13C NMR data from one- and two-dimensional NMR experiments of the O125ac O-antigen in conjunction with sugar components were used as input to the CASPER program, which can determine polysaccharide structure in a fully automated way, and resulted in the following branched pentasaccharide structure of the repeating unit: →4)[β-d-Galp-(1 → 3)]-β-d-GalpNAc-(1 → 2)-α-d-Manp-(1 → 3)-α-l-Fucp-(1 → 3)-α-d-GalpNAc-(1→, where the side chain is denoted by square brackets. The proposed O-antigen structure was confirmed by 1H and 13C NMR chemical shift assignments and determination of interresidue connectivities. Based on this structure, that of the O125ab O-antigen, which consists of hexasaccharide repeating units with an additional glucosyl group, was possible to establish in a semi-automated fashion by CASPER. The putative existence of gnu and gne in the gene clusters of the O125 serogroups is manifested by N-acetyl-d-galactosamine residues as the initial sugar residue of the biological repeating unit as well as within the repeating unit. The close similarity between O-antigen structures is consistent with the presence of two subgroups in the E. coli O125 serogroup.
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Affiliation(s)
- Axel Furevi
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Arrhenius Laboratory, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Klas I Udekwu
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agriculture, P.O. Box 7050, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Göran Widmalm
- To whom correspondence should be addressed: Department of Organic Chemistry, Arrhenius Laboratory, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden. e-mail:
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Zheng M, Zheng M, Epstein S, Harnagel AP, Kim H, Lupoli TJ. Chemical Biology Tools for Modulating and Visualizing Gram-Negative Bacterial Surface Polysaccharides. ACS Chem Biol 2021; 16:1841-1865. [PMID: 34569792 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.1c00341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Bacterial cells present a wide diversity of saccharides that decorate the cell surface and help mediate interactions with the environment. Many Gram-negative cells express O-antigens, which are long sugar polymers that makeup the distal portion of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) that constitutes the surface of the outer membrane. This review highlights chemical biology tools that have been developed in recent years to facilitate the modulation of O-antigen synthesis and composition, as well as related bacterial polysaccharide pathways, and the detection of unique glycan sequences. Advances in the biochemistry and structural biology of O-antigen biosynthetic machinery are also described, which provide guidance for the design of novel chemical and biomolecular probes. Many of the tools noted here have not yet been utilized in biological systems and offer researchers the opportunity to investigate the complex sugar architecture of Gram-negative cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Zheng
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, 10003 New York, United States
| | - Maggie Zheng
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, 10003 New York, United States
| | - Samuel Epstein
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, 10003 New York, United States
| | - Alexa P. Harnagel
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, 10003 New York, United States
| | - Hanee Kim
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, 10003 New York, United States
| | - Tania J. Lupoli
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, 10003 New York, United States
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Kocev A, Melamed J, Torgov V, Danilov L, Veselovsky V, Brockhausen I. The wclY gene of Escherichia coli serotype O117 encodes an α1,4-glucosyltransferase with strict acceptor specificity but broad donor specificity. Glycobiology 2020; 30:9003-9014. [PMID: 32421169 DOI: 10.1093/glycob/cwaa045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2020] [Revised: 05/11/2020] [Accepted: 05/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The O antigen of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli serotype O117 consists of repeating units with the structure [-D-GalNAcβ1-3-L-Rhaα1-4-D-Glcα1-4-D-Galβ1-3-D-GalNAcα1-4]n. A related structure is found in E. coli O107 where Glc is replaced by a GlcNAc residue. The O117 and O107 antigen biosynthesis gene clusters are homologous and reveal the presence of four putative glycosyltransferase (GT) genes, wclW, wclX, wclY and wclZ, but the enzymes have not yet been biochemically characterized. We show here that the His6-tagged WclY protein expressed in E. coli Lemo21(DE3) cells is an α1,4-Glc-transferase that transfers Glc to the Gal moiety of Galβ1-3GalNAcα-OPO3-PO3-phenoxyundecyl as a specific acceptor and that the diphosphate moiety of this acceptor is required. WclY utilized UDP-Glc, TDP-Glc, ADP-Glc, as well as UDP-GlcNAc, UDP-Gal or UDP-GalNAc as donor substrates, suggesting an unusual broad donor specificity. Activity using GDP-Man suggested the presence of a novel Man-transferase in Lemo21(DE3) cells. Mutations of WclY revealed that both Glu residues of the Ex7E motif within the predicted GT domain are essential for activity. High GlcNAc-transferase (GlcNAc-T) activities of WclY were created by mutating Arg194 to Cys. A triple mutant identical to WclY in E. coli O107 was identified as an α1,4 GlcNAc-T. The characterization of WclY opens the door for the development of antibacterial approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Kocev
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, 18 Stuart St., Kingston, ON K7L3N6, Canada
| | - Jacob Melamed
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, 18 Stuart St., Kingston, ON K7L3N6, Canada
| | - Vladimir Torgov
- N.D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky Prospekt 47, Moscow, Russia
| | - Leonid Danilov
- N.D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky Prospekt 47, Moscow, Russia
| | - Vladimir Veselovsky
- N.D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky Prospekt 47, Moscow, Russia
| | - Inka Brockhausen
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, 18 Stuart St., Kingston, ON K7L3N6, Canada
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Liu B, Furevi A, Perepelov AV, Guo X, Cao H, Wang Q, Reeves PR, Knirel YA, Wang L, Widmalm G. Structure and genetics of Escherichia coli O antigens. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2020; 44:655-683. [PMID: 31778182 PMCID: PMC7685785 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuz028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 121] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2018] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Escherichia coli includes clonal groups of both commensal and pathogenic strains, with some of the latter causing serious infectious diseases. O antigen variation is current standard in defining strains for taxonomy and epidemiology, providing the basis for many serotyping schemes for Gram-negative bacteria. This review covers the diversity in E. coli O antigen structures and gene clusters, and the genetic basis for the structural diversity. Of the 187 formally defined O antigens, six (O31, O47, O67, O72, O94 and O122) have since been removed and three (O34, O89 and O144) strains do not produce any O antigen. Therefore, structures are presented for 176 of the 181 E. coli O antigens, some of which include subgroups. Most (93%) of these O antigens are synthesized via the Wzx/Wzy pathway, 11 via the ABC transporter pathway, with O20, O57 and O60 still uncharacterized due to failure to find their O antigen gene clusters. Biosynthetic pathways are given for 38 of the 49 sugars found in E. coli O antigens, and several pairs or groups of the E. coli antigens that have related structures show close relationships of the O antigen gene clusters within clades, thereby highlighting the genetic basis of the evolution of diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Liu
- TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjing 300457, China
- The Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology, Ministry of Education, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Microbial Functional Genomics, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Axel Furevi
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Arrhenius Laboratory, Svante Arrhenius väg 16C, Stockholm University, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Andrei V Perepelov
- N.D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky Prospect, 47, Moscow, Russia
| | - Xi Guo
- TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjing 300457, China
- The Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology, Ministry of Education, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Microbial Functional Genomics, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Hengchun Cao
- TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjing 300457, China
- The Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology, Ministry of Education, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Microbial Functional Genomics, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Quan Wang
- TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjing 300457, China
- The Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology, Ministry of Education, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Microbial Functional Genomics, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Peter R Reeves
- School of Molecular and Microbial Bioscience, University of Sydney, 2 Butilin Ave, Darlington NSW 2008, Sydney, Australia
| | - Yuriy A Knirel
- N.D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky Prospect, 47, Moscow, Russia
| | - Lei Wang
- TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjing 300457, China
- The Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology, Ministry of Education, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Microbial Functional Genomics, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Göran Widmalm
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Arrhenius Laboratory, Svante Arrhenius väg 16C, Stockholm University, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
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Whitfield C, Williams DM, Kelly SD. Lipopolysaccharide O-antigens-bacterial glycans made to measure. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:10593-10609. [PMID: 32424042 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.rev120.009402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2020] [Revised: 05/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Lipopolysaccharides are critical components of bacterial outer membranes. The more conserved lipid A part of the lipopolysaccharide molecule is a major element in the permeability barrier imposed by the outer membrane and offers a pathogen-associated molecular pattern recognized by innate immune systems. In contrast, the long-chain O-antigen polysaccharide (O-PS) shows remarkable structural diversity and fulfills a range of functions, depending on bacterial lifestyles. O-PS production is vital for the success of clinically important Gram-negative pathogens. The biological properties and functions of O-PSs are mostly independent of specific structures, but the size distribution of O-PS chains is particularly important in many contexts. Despite the vast O-PS chemical diversity, most are produced in bacterial cells by two assembly strategies, and the different mechanisms employed in these pathways to regulate chain-length distribution are emerging. Here, we review our current understanding of the mechanisms involved in regulating O-PS chain-length distribution and discuss their impact on microbial cell biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris Whitfield
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Danielle M Williams
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Steven D Kelly
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
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8
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Ståhle J, Fontana C, Weintraub A, Widmalm G. Elucidation of the O-antigen structure of Escherichia coli O63. Glycobiology 2019; 29:179-187. [PMID: 30346540 DOI: 10.1093/glycob/cwy098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2018] [Accepted: 10/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The structure of the O-antigen polysaccharide (PS) from the Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli O63 has been elucidated using a combination of bioinformatics, component analyses and NMR spectroscopy. The O-antigen is comprised of tetrasaccharide repeating units with the following structure: →2)-β-d-Quip3N(d-allo-ThrAc)-(1→2)-β-d-Ribf-(1→4)-β-d-Galp-(1→3)-α-d-GlcpNAc-(1→ in which the N-acetylated d-allo-threonine is amide-linked to position 3 of the 3-amino-3-deoxy-d-Quip sugar residue. The presence of a predicted flippase and polymerase encoded in the O63 gene cluster is consistent with the Wzx/Wzy biosynthetic pathway and consequently the biological repeating unit has likely an N-acetyl-d-glucosamine residue at its reducing end. A bioinformatics approach based on predictive glycosyltransferase function present in ECODAB (E. coli O-antigen database) suggested the structural element β-d-Galp-(1→3)-d-GlcpNAc in the O-antigen. Notably, multiple gene sequence alignment of fdtA and qdtA from E. coli to that in E. coli O63 resulted in discrimination between the two, confirmation of the latter in E. coli O63, and consequently, together with qdtB, biosynthesis of dTDP-d-Quip3N. The E. coli O63 O-antigen polysaccharide differs in two aspects from that of E. coli O114 where the latter carries instead an l-serine residue, and the glycosidic linkage positions to and from the Quip3N residue are both changed. The structural characterization of the O63 antigen repeat supports the predicted functional assignment of the O-antigen cluster genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Ståhle
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Arrhenius Laboratory, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Carolina Fontana
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Arrhenius Laboratory, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Andrej Weintraub
- Karolinska Institute, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Microbiology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Göran Widmalm
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Arrhenius Laboratory, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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Sharma S, Creuzenet C, Jarrell KF, Brockhausen I. Glycosyltransferase-Coupled Assays for 4-Epimerase WbpP from Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Methods Mol Biol 2019; 1954:255-268. [PMID: 30864138 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-9154-9_20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The donor substrates for the biosynthesis of bacterial polysaccharides include UDP-Glc/Gal and UDP-GlcNAc/GalNAc. The conversion of these nucleotide sugars is catalyzed by 4-epimerases. The wbpP gene of Pseudomonas aeruginosa encodes a 4-epimerase that has a preference for UDP-GlcNAc/GalNAc as substrates. Other 4-epimerases have broad specificities or preference for UDP-Glc/Gal. We have developed coupled assays where the 4-epimerase product is used as a donor substrate for glycosyltransferases that are highly specific for the nucleotide sugar structure. We describe here a method for the study of substrate specificity of WbpP, using coupled assays employing four different glycosyltransferases. These protocols can be applied to the identification and characterization of novel 4-epimerases and to determine their substrate specificities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sulav Sharma
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Carole Creuzenet
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Kenneth F Jarrell
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Inka Brockhausen
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.
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10
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Brockhausen I, Czuchry D. Enzymatic Synthesis of Repeating Unit Oligosaccharides of Escherichia coli O104. Methods Mol Biol 2019; 1954:187-202. [PMID: 30864133 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-9154-9_15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Escherichia coli serotype O104:H4 (ECO104) is a potent intestinal pathogen that causes severe bloody diarrhea and hemolytic-uremic syndrome. The O antigenic polysaccharides of ECO104 consist of repeating units with the structure [4Galα1-4Neu5,7,9Ac3α2-3Galβ1-3GalNAcβ1-]n. These repeating units are assembled sequentially by specific glycosyltransferases on a diphosphate-undecaprenol intermediate. Internal structures include mimics of the human T and sialyl-T antigen. This protocol describes the in vitro synthesis of the repeating unit by β1,3-Gal-transferase WbwC, α2,3-sialyltransferase WbwA, and α1,4-Gal-transferase WbwB. All of these enzymes require acceptor substrates based on GalNAc-diphosphate-lipid. These methods are applicable for the assembly of bacterial polysaccharides of gram-negative bacteria that require sugar-diphosphate intermediates and are a basis for vaccine synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inka Brockhausen
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.
| | - Diana Czuchry
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
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11
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Sharma S, Ding Y, Jarrell KF, Brockhausen I. Identification and characterization of the 4-epimerase AglW from the archaeon Methanococcus maripaludis. Glycoconj J 2018; 35:525-535. [PMID: 30293150 DOI: 10.1007/s10719-018-9845-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2018] [Revised: 09/11/2018] [Accepted: 09/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Archaea are ubiquitous single-cell microorganisms that have often adapted to harsh conditions and play important roles in biogeochemical cycles with potential applications in biotechnology. Methanococcus maripaludis, a methane-producing archaeon, is motile through multiple archaella on its cell surface. The major structural proteins (archaellins) of the archaellum are glycoproteins, modified with N-linked tetrasaccharides that are essential for the proper assembly and function of archaella. The aglW gene, encoding the putative 4-epimerase AglW, plays a key role in the synthesis of the tetrasaccharide. The goal of our work was to biochemically demonstrate the 4-epimerase activity of AglW, and to develop assays to determine its substrate specificity and properties. We carried out assays using UDP-Galactose, UDP-Glucose, UDP-N-acetylglucosamine, UDP-N-acetylgalactosamine and N-acetylglucosamine/N-acetylgalactosamine-diphosphate - lipid as substrates, coupled with specific glycosyltransferases. We showed that AglW has a broad specificity towards UDP-sugars and that Tyr151 within a conserved YxxxK sequon is essential for the 4-epimerase function of AglW. The glycosyltransferase-coupled assays are generally useful for the identification and specificity studies of novel 4-epimerases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sulav Sharma
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, 18 Stuart Street, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Yan Ding
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, 18 Stuart Street, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Ken F Jarrell
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, 18 Stuart Street, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Inka Brockhausen
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, 18 Stuart Street, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada.
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12
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Zdorovenko EL, Wang Y, Shashkov AS, Chen T, Ovchinnikova OG, Liu B, Golomidova AK, Babenko VV, Letarov AV, Knirel YA. O-Antigens of Escherichia coli Strains O81 and HS3-104 Are Structurally and Genetically Related, Except O-Antigen Glucosylation in E. coli HS3-104. BIOCHEMISTRY (MOSCOW) 2018; 83:534-541. [PMID: 29738687 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297918050061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Glycerophosphate-containing O-specific polysaccharides (OPSs) were obtained by mild acidic degradation of lipopolysaccharides isolated from Escherichia coli type strain O81 and E. coli strain HS3-104 from horse feces. The structures of both OPSs and of the oligosaccharide derived from the strain O81 OPS by treatment with 48% HF were studied by monosaccharide analysis and one- and two-dimensional 1H- and 13C-NMR spectroscopy. Both OPSs had similar structures and differed only in the presence of a side-chain glucose residue in the strain HS3-104 OPS. The genes and the organization of the O-antigen biosynthesis gene cluster in both strains are almost identical with the exception of the gtr gene cluster responsible for glucosylations in the strain HS3-104, which is located elsewhere in the genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- E L Zdorovenko
- Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - Y Wang
- TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300457, China
| | - A S Shashkov
- Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - T Chen
- TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300457, China
| | - O G Ovchinnikova
- Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - B Liu
- TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300457, China.
| | - A K Golomidova
- Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Research Center of Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 117312, Russia
| | - V V Babenko
- Federal Research and Clinical Centre of Physico-Chemical Medicine, Moscow, 119435, Russia.
| | - A V Letarov
- Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Research Center of Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 117312, Russia.
| | - Y A Knirel
- Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119991, Russia.
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13
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Senchenkova SN, Hou W, Naumenko OI, Geng P, Shashkov AS, Perepelov AV, Yang B, Knirel YA. Structure and genetics of a glycerol 2-phosphate-containing O-specific polysaccharide of Escherichia coli O33. Carbohydr Res 2018. [PMID: 29524726 DOI: 10.1016/j.carres.2018.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
An O-specific polysaccharide was isolated by mild acid degradation of the lipopolysaccharide of Escherichia coli O33 followed by gel-permeation chromatography on Sephadex G-50. The polysaccharide was found to contain glycerol 2-phosphate (Gro-2-P), and the following structure of its tetrasaccharide repeat was established by sugar analysis, dephosphorylation, and 1D and 2D 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy: The O33-antigen gene cluster was analyzed and found to be essentially consistent with the O-polysaccharide structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sof'ya N Senchenkova
- N.D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Wenqi Hou
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology, Ministry of Education, TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, TEDA, Tianjin, 300457, PR China
| | - Olesya I Naumenko
- N.D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991, Moscow, Russian Federation; Higher Chemical College of the Russian Academy of Sciences, D.I. Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia, Moscow, Russia
| | - Peng Geng
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Heping District, Tianjin, 300070, PR China
| | - Alexander S Shashkov
- N.D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Andrei V Perepelov
- N.D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991, Moscow, Russian Federation.
| | - Bin Yang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology, Ministry of Education, TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, TEDA, Tianjin, 300457, PR China
| | - Yuriy A Knirel
- N.D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991, Moscow, Russian Federation
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14
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Perepelov AV, Chen T, Senchenkova SN, Filatov AV, Song J, Shashkov AS, Liu B, Knirel YA. Structure and genetics of the O-specific polysaccharide of Escherichia coli O27. Carbohydr Res 2017; 456:1-4. [PMID: 29220644 DOI: 10.1016/j.carres.2017.11.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2017] [Revised: 11/13/2017] [Accepted: 11/26/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The O-specific polysaccharide (O-antigen) is a part of the lipopolysaccharide on the cell surface of Gram-negative bacteria. The O-polysaccharide was obtained by mild acid hydrolysis of the lipopolysaccharide of Escherichia coli O27 and studied by sugar analysis and Smith degradation along with 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. The following structure of the branched hexasaccharide repeating unit was established, which is unique among known structures of bacterial polysaccharides:where GlcA is non-stoichiometrically O-acetylated at position 3 (∼22%) or 4 (∼37%). Functions of genes in the O-antigen gene cluster of E. coli O27 were tentatively assigned by comparison with sequences in the available databases and found to be consistent with the O-polysaccharide structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrei V Perepelov
- N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation.
| | - Tingting Chen
- TEDA School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, TEDA, Tianjin, PR China
| | - Sofya N Senchenkova
- N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Andrei V Filatov
- N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Jingjie Song
- TEDA School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, TEDA, Tianjin, PR China
| | - Alexander S Shashkov
- N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Bin Liu
- TEDA School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, TEDA, Tianjin, PR China
| | - Yuriy A Knirel
- N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation
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15
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O’Donoghue EJ, Sirisaengtaksin N, Browning DF, Bielska E, Hadis M, Fernandez-Trillo F, Alderwick L, Jabbari S, Krachler AM. Lipopolysaccharide structure impacts the entry kinetics of bacterial outer membrane vesicles into host cells. PLoS Pathog 2017; 13:e1006760. [PMID: 29186191 PMCID: PMC5724897 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2017] [Revised: 12/11/2017] [Accepted: 11/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Outer membrane vesicles are nano-sized microvesicles shed from the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria and play important roles in immune priming and disease pathogenesis. However, our current mechanistic understanding of vesicle-host cell interactions is limited by a lack of methods to study the rapid kinetics of vesicle entry and cargo delivery to host cells. Here, we describe a highly sensitive method to study the kinetics of vesicle entry into host cells in real-time using a genetically encoded, vesicle-targeted probe. We found that the route of vesicular uptake, and thus entry kinetics and efficiency, are shaped by bacterial cell wall composition. The presence of lipopolysaccharide O antigen enables vesicles to bypass clathrin-mediated endocytosis, which enhances both their entry rate and efficiency into host cells. Collectively, our findings highlight the composition of the bacterial cell wall as a major determinant of secretion-independent delivery of virulence factors during Gram-negative infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eloise J. O’Donoghue
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Natalie Sirisaengtaksin
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Texas McGovern Medical School at Houston, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Douglas F. Browning
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Ewa Bielska
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Mohammed Hadis
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, School of Chemistry, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Francisco Fernandez-Trillo
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, School of Chemistry, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Luke Alderwick
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Sara Jabbari
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom
- School of Mathematics, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Anne Marie Krachler
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Texas McGovern Medical School at Houston, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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16
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Li T, Noel KD. Synthesis of N-acetyl-d-quinovosamine in Rhizobium etli CE3 is completed after its 4-keto-precursor is linked to a carrier lipid. MICROBIOLOGY-SGM 2017; 163:1890-1901. [PMID: 29165235 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.000576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Bacterial O-antigens are synthesized on lipid carriers before being transferred to lipopolysaccharide core structures. Rhizobium etli CE3 lipopolysaccharide is a model for understanding O-antigen biological function. CE3 O-antigen structure and genetics are known. However, proposed enzymology for CE3 O-antigen synthesis has been examined very little in vitro, and even the sugar added to begin the synthesis is uncertain. A model based on mutagenesis studies predicts that 2-acetamido-2,6-dideoxy-d-glucose (QuiNAc) is the first O-antigen sugar and that genes wreV, wreQ and wreU direct QuiNAc synthesis and O-antigen initiation. Previously, synthesis of UDP-QuiNAc was shown to occur in vitro with a WreV orthologue (4,6-hexose dehydratase) and WreQ (4-reductase), but the WreQ catalysis in this conventional deoxyhexose-synthesis pathway was very slow. This seeming deficiency was explained in the present study after WreU transferase activity was examined in vitro. Results fit the prediction that WreU transfers sugar-1-phosphate to bactoprenyl phosphate (BpP) to initiate O-antigen synthesis. Interestingly, WreU demonstrated much higher activity using the product of the WreV catalysis [UDP-4-keto-6-deoxy-GlcNAc (UDP-KdgNAc)] as the sugar-phosphate donor than using UDP-QuiNAc. Furthermore, the WreQ catalysis with WreU-generated BpPP-KdgNAc as the substrate was orders of magnitude faster than with UDP-KdgNAc. The inferred product BpPP-QuiNAc reacted as an acceptor substrate in an in vitro assay for addition of the second O-antigen sugar, mannose. These results imply a novel pathway for 6-deoxyhexose synthesis that may be commonly utilized by bacteria when QuiNAc is the first sugar of a polysaccharide or oligosaccharide repeat unit: UDP-GlcNAc → UDP-KdgNAc → BpPP-KdgNAc → BpPP-QuiNAc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiezheng Li
- Present address: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI 53233, USA
| | - K Dale Noel
- Department of Biological Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI 53233, USA
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17
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Identification and biochemical characterization of WbwB, a novel UDP-Gal: Neu5Ac-R α1,4-galactosyltransferase from the intestinal pathogen Escherichia coli serotype O104. Glycoconj J 2017; 35:65-76. [PMID: 29063990 DOI: 10.1007/s10719-017-9799-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Revised: 09/11/2017] [Accepted: 09/13/2017] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The intestinal pathogen Escherichia coli serotype O104:H4 (ECO104) can cause bloody diarrhea and haemolytic uremic syndrome. The ECO104 O antigen has the unique repeating unit structure [4Galα1-4Neu5,7,9Ac3α2-3Galβ1-3GalNAcβ1-], which includes the mammalian sialyl-T antigen as an internal structure. Previously, we identified WbwC from ECO104 as the β3Gal-transferase that synthesizes the T antigen, and showed that α3-sialyl-transferase WbwA transfers sialic acid to the T antigen. Here we identify the wbwB gene product as a unique α1,4-Gal-transferase WbwB that transfers Gal from UDP-Gal to the terminal sialic acid residue of Neu5Acα2-3Galβ1-3GalNAcα-diphosphate-lipid acceptor. NMR analysis of the WbwB enzyme reaction product indicated that Galα1-4Neu5Acα2-3Galβ1-3GalNAcα-diphosphate-lipid was synthesized. WbwB from ECO104 has a unique acceptor specificity for terminal sialic acid as well as the diphosphate group in the acceptor. The characterization studies showed that WbwB does not require divalent metal ion as a cofactor. Mutagenesis identified Lys243 within an RKR motif and both Glu315 and Glu323 of the fourth EX7E motif as essential for the activity. WbwB is the final glycosyltransferase in the biosynthesis pathway of the ECO104 antigen repeating unit. This work contributes to knowledge of the biosynthesis of bacterial virulence factors.
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18
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Sizova OV, Kondakova AN, Shashkov AS, Knirel YA, Shaikhutdinova RZ, Ivanov SA, Platonov ME, Hurst MRH, Dentovskaya SV. Structure and gene cluster of a tyvelose-containing O-polysaccharide of an entomopathogenic bacterium Yersinia entomophaga MH96 T related to Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. Carbohydr Res 2017; 445:93-97. [PMID: 28460348 DOI: 10.1016/j.carres.2017.04.013] [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: 02/17/2017] [Revised: 03/31/2017] [Accepted: 04/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
An O-polysaccharide was isolated from the lipopolysaccharide of an entomopathogenic bacterium Yersinia entomophaga MH96T by mild acid hydrolysis and studied by 2D NMR spectroscopy. The following structure of the branched tetrasaccharide repeating unit of the polysaccharide was established: where Tyv indicates 3,6-dideoxy-d-arabino-hexose (tyvelose). The structure established is consistent with the gene content of the O-antigen gene cluster. The O-polysaccharide structure and gene cluster of Y. entomophaga are related to those of some Y. pseudotuberculosis serotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- O V Sizova
- N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - A N Kondakova
- N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - A S Shashkov
- N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Y A Knirel
- N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - R Z Shaikhutdinova
- State Research Center for Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 142279, Obolensk, Moscow Region, Russian Federation
| | - S A Ivanov
- State Research Center for Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 142279, Obolensk, Moscow Region, Russian Federation
| | - M E Platonov
- State Research Center for Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 142279, Obolensk, Moscow Region, Russian Federation
| | - M R H Hurst
- Forage Science, AgResearch, Lincoln Research Centre, Christchurch, 8140, New Zealand; Bio-Protection Research Centre, Lincoln, Christchurch, 8140, New Zealand
| | - S V Dentovskaya
- State Research Center for Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 142279, Obolensk, Moscow Region, Russian Federation.
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19
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Chen C, Hou X, Utkina N, Danilov L, Zhou D, Torgov V, Veselovsky V, Liu B, Feng L. Identification and biochemical characterization of a novel α-1,3-mannosyltransferase WfcD from Escherichia coli O141. Carbohydr Res 2017; 443-444:78-86. [PMID: 28402841 DOI: 10.1016/j.carres.2017.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2017] [Revised: 03/31/2017] [Accepted: 04/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Glycosyltransferases (GTs) catalyze the formation of regio- and stereospecific glycosidic linkages between specific sugar donors and recipients. In this study, the function of the wfcD gene from the Escherichia coli O141 O-antigen gene cluster encoding an α-1,3-mannosyltransferase that catalyzed the formation of the linkage Man(α1-3)-GlcNAc was biochemically characterized. WfcD was expressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3), and the enzymatic product was identified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), collision-induced dissociation electrospray ionization ion trap multiple tandem MS (CID-ESI-IT-MSn) and glycosidase digestion using the donor substrate GDP-Man and the synthetic acceptor substrate decyl diphosphate 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-α-D-glucopyranose (GlcNAc-PP-De). The kinetic and physiochemical properties and the substrate specificity of WfcD were investigated. WfcD is the first characterized bacterial mannosyltransferase that acts on the Man(α1-3)-GlcNAc linkage. This study enhances our knowledge of the diverse functions of GTs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Chen
- TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjin, 300457, PR China; The Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology, Ministry of Education, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjin, 300457, PR China
| | - Xi Hou
- TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjin, 300457, PR China; The Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology, Ministry of Education, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjin, 300457, PR China
| | - Natalia Utkina
- N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Leonid Danilov
- N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Dawei Zhou
- TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjin, 300457, PR China; The Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology, Ministry of Education, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjin, 300457, PR China
| | - Vladimir Torgov
- N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Vladimir Veselovsky
- N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Bin Liu
- TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjin, 300457, PR China; The Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology, Ministry of Education, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjin, 300457, PR China
| | - Lu Feng
- TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjin, 300457, PR China; The Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology, Ministry of Education, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjin, 300457, PR China.
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20
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Structure elucidation and analysis of biosynthesis genes of the O-antigen of Escherichia coli O131 containing N-acetylneuraminic acid. Carbohydr Res 2016; 436:41-44. [PMID: 27863302 DOI: 10.1016/j.carres.2016.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2016] [Revised: 11/03/2016] [Accepted: 11/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The O-polysaccharide (O-antigen) of Escherichia coli O131 was studied by sugar analysis along with 1D and 2D 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. The following structure of the linear tetrasaccharide repeating unit of the polysaccharide was established: →8)-α-Neup5Ac-(2 → 6)-β-D-Galp-(1 → 6)-β-D-Galp-(1 → 3)-β-D-GalpNAc-(1→ The gene functions were tentatively assigned by comparison with sequences in the available databases and found to be in agreement with the E. coli O131-antigen structure.
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21
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Senchenkova SN, Guo X, Naumenko OI, Shashkov AS, Perepelov AV, Liu B, Knirel YA. Structure and genetics of the O-antigens of Escherichia coli O182-O187. Carbohydr Res 2016; 435:58-67. [PMID: 27710814 DOI: 10.1016/j.carres.2016.09.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2016] [Revised: 08/22/2016] [Accepted: 09/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
O-polysaccharides (OPSs) were obtained by mild acid degradation of the lipopolysaccharides of Escherichia coli O182-O187, and their structures were established by sugar analysis, Smith degradation, and 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. In addition to the monosaccharides that occur often in E. coli OPSs (d-Glc, d-Gal, d-Man, d-GlcNAc, d-GalNAc, d-GlcA, l-Fuc, d-Rib), a number of less common components were identified as the OPS constituents, including 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-l-quinovose and 4-deoxy-4-[(S)-3-hydroxybutanoyl-l-alanyl]-d-quinovose (O186), 3-acetamido-3-deoxy-d-fucose (O187), 3-deoxy-3-[(R)-3-hydroxybutanoyl]-d-fucose (O184), and 2,3-diacetamido-2,3-dideoxy-l-rhamnose (O182). The OPS structures of E. coli O183 and O182 are identical to those of the OPS of Shigella boydii type 10 and the capsular polysaccharide of E. coli K48, respectively. The OPSs of E. coli O186 and O123 are closely related differing in the presence of a Glc residue in the former in place of a GlcNAc residue in the latter. The O-antigen gene clusters of the bacteria studied were analyzed and their contents were found to be consistent with the OPS structures. Predicted glycosyltransferases encoded in the gene clusters were tentatively assigned to glycosidic linkages based on similarities to sequences of other E. coli O-serogroups available from GenBank and taking into account the OPS structures established.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sof'ya N Senchenkova
- N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Xi Guo
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology, Ministry of Education, TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, TEDA, 300457, Tianjin, PR China
| | - Olesya I Naumenko
- N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Alexander S Shashkov
- N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Andrei V Perepelov
- N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Bin Liu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology, Ministry of Education, TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, TEDA, 300457, Tianjin, PR China
| | - Yuriy A Knirel
- N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991, Moscow, Russian Federation.
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22
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Structures and gene clusters of the O-specific polysaccharides of the lipopolysaccharides of Escherichia coli O69 and O146 containing glycolactilic acids: ether conjugates of D-GlcNAc and D-Glc with (R)- and (S)-lactic acid. Glycoconj J 2016; 34:71-84. [PMID: 27645300 DOI: 10.1007/s10719-016-9730-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2016] [Revised: 09/04/2016] [Accepted: 09/06/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Based on the O-specific polysaccharides of the lipopolysaccharides (O-polysaccharides, O-antigens), strains of a clonal species Escherichia coli are classified into 184 O serogroups. In this work, structures of the O-polysaccharides of E. coli O69 and O146 were elucidated and gene clusters for their biosynthesis were characterized. The O-polysaccharides were released from the lipopolysaccharides by mild acid hydrolysis and studied by sugar analysis and one- and two-dimensional 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy before and after O-deacetylation. The O146 polysaccharide was also studied by Smith degradation. The O69 and O146 polysaccharides were found to contain ether conjugates of monosaccharides with lactic acid called glycolactilic acids: 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-4-O-[(R)-1-carboxyethyl]-D-glucose (D-GlcNAc4Rlac) and 3-O-[(S)-1-carboxyethyl]-D-glucose (D-Glc3Slac), respectively. Structures of the pentasaccharide repeats of the O-polysaccharides were established, and that of E. coli O69 was found to differ in the presence of D-GlcNAc4Rlac from the structure reported for this bacterium earlier (Erbing C, Kenne L, Lindberg B. 1977. Carbohydr Res. 56:371-376). The O-antigen gene clusters of E. coli O69 and O146 between conserved genes galF and gnd were analyzed taking into account the O-polysaccharide structures established, and functions of putative genes for synthesis of D-Glc3Slac and D-GlcNAc4Rlac and for glycosyltransferases were assigned based on homology with O-antigen biosynthesis genes of other enteric bacteria. It was found that in E. coli and Shigella spp. predicted enolpyruvate reductases of the biosynthesis pathway of glycolactilic acids, LarR and LarS, which catalyze formation of conjugates with (R)- or (S)-lactic acid, respectively, are distinguished by sequence homology and size.
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23
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Senchenkova SN, Guo X, Filatov AV, Perepelov AV, Liu B, Shashkov AS, Knirel YA. Structure elucidation and gene cluster characterization of the O-antigen of Escherichia coli O80. Carbohydr Res 2016; 432:83-7. [PMID: 27454490 DOI: 10.1016/j.carres.2016.07.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2016] [Revised: 07/07/2016] [Accepted: 07/08/2016] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Mild alkaline degradation of the lipopolysaccharide of Escherichia coli O80 afforded a polysaccharide, which was studied by sugar analysis, selective cleavage of glycosidic linkages, and (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy. Solvolysis of the polysaccharide with CF3CO2H cleaved the linkages of α-Fuc and β-linked GlcNAc and GalNAc residues to give two disaccharides. The following structure of the hexasaccharide repeating unit of the O-polysaccharide was established: The polysaccharide repeat also contains a minor O-acetyl group but its position was not determined. The O-antigen gene cluster of E. coli O80 between the conserved galF and gnd genes was analyzed and found to be consistent with the O-polysaccharide structure established.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sof'ya N Senchenkova
- N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Xi Guo
- TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, TEDA, 300457, Tianjin, PR China
| | - Andrei V Filatov
- N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Andrei V Perepelov
- N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Bin Liu
- TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, TEDA, 300457, Tianjin, PR China
| | - Alexander S Shashkov
- N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Yuriy A Knirel
- N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991, Moscow, Russian Federation.
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24
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Merino S, Gonzalez V, Tomás JM. The first sugar of the repeat units is essential for the Wzy polymerase activity and elongation of the O-antigen lipopolysaccharide. Future Microbiol 2016; 11:903-18. [PMID: 27357519 DOI: 10.2217/fmb-2015-0028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
In the Wzx/Wzy-dependent assembled pathway, the assembled O-antigen repeat units are translocated from the cytosolic to the periplasmic face of the inner membrane by a Wzx translocase and then polymerized by the integral membrane protein Wzy to form a glycan chain. We demonstrate that the activity of the Escherichia coli O-antigen polymerase (Wzy) is dependent on the first sugar of the O-antigen repeat unit to produce the O-antigen polymerization and therefore, there is a need for a concerted action with the enzyme transferring the initial HexNAc to undecaprenyl phosphate (UDP-HexNAc: polyprenol-P HexNAc-1-P transferase). Furthermore, in the case of Aeromonas hydrophila Wzy-O34 polymerization activity, the enzyme is permissive with the sugar at the nonreducing end of the O-antigen repeat unit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susana Merino
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Barcelona, Diagonal 643, 08071 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Victor Gonzalez
- Institute of Virology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Juan M Tomás
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Barcelona, Diagonal 643, 08071 Barcelona, Spain
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25
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Li L, Woodward RL, Han W, Qu J, Song J, Ma C, Wang PG. Chemoenzymatic synthesis of the bacterial polysaccharide repeating unit undecaprenyl pyrophosphate and its analogs. Nat Protoc 2016; 11:1280-98. [PMID: 27336706 DOI: 10.1038/nprot.2016.067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Polysaccharides are essential and immunologically relevant components of bacterial cell walls. These biomolecules can be found covalently attached to lipids (e.g., O-polysaccharide (PS) contains undecaprenyl and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) contains lipid A) or noncovalently associated with cell wells (e.g., capsular PS (CPS)). Although extensive genetic studies have indicated that the Wzy-dependent biosynthetic pathway is primarily responsible for producing such polysaccharides, in vitro biochemical studies are needed to determine, for example, which gene product is responsible for catalyzing each step in the pathway, and to reveal molecular details about the Wzx translocase, Wzy polymerase and O-PS chain-length determinant. Many of these biochemical studies require access to a structurally well-defined PS repeating unit undecaprenyl pyrophosphate (RU-PP-Und), the key building block in this pathway. We describe herein the chemoenzymatic synthesis of Escherichia coli (serotype O157) RU-PP-Und. This involves (i) chemical synthesis of precursor N-acetyl-D-galactosamine (GalNAc)-PP-Und (2 weeks) and (ii) enzymatic extension of the precursor to produce RU-PP-Und (2 weeks). Undecaprenyl phosphate and peracetylated GalNAc-1-phosphate are prepared from commercially available undecaprenol and peracetylated GalNAc. The chemical coupling of these two products, followed by structural confirmation (mass spectrometry and NMR) and deprotection, generates GalNAc-PP-Und. This compound is then sequentially modified by enzymes in the E. coli serotype O157 (E. coli O157) O-PS biosynthetic pathway. Three glycosyltransferases (GTs) are involved (WbdN, WbdO and WbdP) and they transfer glucose (Glc), L-fucose (L-Fuc) and N-acetylperosamine (PerNAc) onto GalNAc-PP-Und to form the intact RU-PP-Und in a stepwise manner. Final compounds and intermediates are confirmed by mass spectrometry. The procedure can be adapted to the synthesis of analogs with different PS or lipid moieties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Li
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Diagnostics &Therapeutics, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Robert L Woodward
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Mount Union, Alliance, Ohio, USA
| | - Weiqing Han
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Diagnostics &Therapeutics, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Jingyao Qu
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Diagnostics &Therapeutics, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Jing Song
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Diagnostics &Therapeutics, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Cheng Ma
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Diagnostics &Therapeutics, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Peng G Wang
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Diagnostics &Therapeutics, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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26
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Kenyon JJ, Duda KA, De Felice A, Cunneen MM, Molinaro A, Laitinen J, Skurnik M, Holst O, Reeves PR, De Castro C. Serotype O:8 isolates in the Yersinia pseudotuberculosis complex have different O-antigen gene clusters and produce various forms of rough LPS. Innate Immun 2016; 22:205-17. [PMID: 26873504 DOI: 10.1177/1753425916631403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2015] [Accepted: 01/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
In Yersinia pseudotuberculosis complex, the O-antigen of LPS is used for the serological characterization of strains, and 21 serotypes have been identified to date. The O-antigen biosynthesis gene cluster and corresponding O-antigen structure have been described for 18, leaving O:8, O:13 and O:14 unresolved. In this study, two O:8 isolates were examined. The O-antigen gene cluster sequence of strain 151 was near identical to serotype O:4a, though a frame-shift mutation was found in ddhD, while No. 6 was different to 151 and carried the O:1b gene cluster. Structural analysis revealed that No. 6 produced a deeply truncated LPS, suggesting a mutation within the waaF gene. Both ddhD and waaF were cloned and expressed in 151 and No. 6 strains, respectively, and it appeared that expression of ddhD gene in strain 151 restored the O-antigen on LPS, while waaF in No. 6 resulted in an LPS truncated less severely but still without the O-antigen, suggesting that other mutations occurred in this strain. Thus, both O:8 isolates were found to be spontaneous O-antigen-negative mutants derived from other validated serotypes, and we propose to remove this serotype from the O-serotyping scheme, as the O:8 serological specificity is not based on the O-antigen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna J Kenyon
- School of Molecular Bioscience, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Katarzyna A Duda
- Division of Structural Biochemistry, Research Center Borstel, Leibniz-Center for Medicine and Biosciences, Borstel, Germany
| | - Antonia De Felice
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Napoli, Napoli, Italy
| | - Monica M Cunneen
- School of Molecular Bioscience, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Antonio Molinaro
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Napoli, Napoli, Italy
| | - Juha Laitinen
- Department of Bacteriology and Immunology, Medicum, and Research Programs Unit, Immunobiology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Mikael Skurnik
- Department of Bacteriology and Immunology, Medicum, and Research Programs Unit, Immunobiology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland Helsinki University Central Hospital Laboratory Diagnostics, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Otto Holst
- Division of Structural Biochemistry, Research Center Borstel, Leibniz-Center for Medicine and Biosciences, Borstel, Germany
| | - Peter R Reeves
- School of Molecular Bioscience, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Cristina De Castro
- Department of Agriculture Sciences, University of Napoli, Portici, Italy
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27
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Perepelov AV, Guo X, Senchenkova SN, Shashkov AS, Knirel YA. Structure and genetics of biosynthesis of the glycosyl phosphate-containing O-polysaccharide of Escherichia coli O160. Carbohydr Res 2015; 417:89-93. [PMID: 26451883 DOI: 10.1016/j.carres.2015.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2015] [Revised: 08/17/2015] [Accepted: 09/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
On mild acid degradation of the lipopolysaccharide of Escherichia coli O160, the O-polysaccharide was cleaved by acid-labile glycosyl phosphate linkages in the main chain. The resultant oligosaccharide and the alkali-treated lipopolysaccharide were studied by sugar analysis along with (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopies, and the following structure of the branched pentasaccharide repeating unit of the O-polysaccharide was established: The O-antigen gene cluster of E. coli O160 was found to be consistent with the O-polysaccharide structure established.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrei V Perepelov
- N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation.
| | - Xi Guo
- TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, TEDA, 300457 Tianjin, China
| | - Sof'ya N Senchenkova
- N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Alexander S Shashkov
- N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Yuriy A Knirel
- N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation
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28
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Chen M, Shpirt AM, Guo X, Shashkov AS, Zhuang Y, Wang L, Knirel YA, Liu B. Identification serologically, chemically and genetically of two Escherichia coli strains as candidates for new O serogroups. Microbiology (Reading) 2015; 161:1790-1796. [DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.000136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Min Chen
- Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, No. 1380, Zhong Shan Xi Road, Shanghai 200336, PR China
| | - Anna M. Shpirt
- N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninskii Prospekt 47, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | - Xi Guo
- TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, PR China
| | - Alexander S. Shashkov
- N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninskii Prospekt 47, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | - Yuan Zhuang
- Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, No. 1380, Zhong Shan Xi Road, Shanghai 200336, PR China
| | - Lei Wang
- TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, PR China
| | - Yuriy A. Knirel
- N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninskii Prospekt 47, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | - Bin Liu
- TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, PR China
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29
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Perepelov AV, Guo X, Filatov AV, Liu B, Knirel YA. Structure and gene cluster of the O-antigen of Escherichia coli O43. Carbohydr Res 2015; 416:32-6. [PMID: 26342864 DOI: 10.1016/j.carres.2015.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2015] [Revised: 07/09/2015] [Accepted: 08/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The O-polysaccharide (O-antigen) of Escherichia coli O43 was isolated from the lipopolysaccharide and studied by chemical methods, including sugar analyses, Smith degradation, and solvolysis with anhydrous trifluoroacetic acid, along with (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy. The following structure of the pentasaccharide repeating unit of the O-polysaccharide was established: [Formula: see text] Functions of genes in the O-antigen gene cluster of E. coli O43 were assigned by a comparison with sequences in the available databases and found to be in agreement with the O-polysaccharide structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrei V Perepelov
- N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation.
| | - Xi Guo
- TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, TEDA, Nankai University, 300457 Tianjin, China
| | - Andrei V Filatov
- N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Bin Liu
- TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, TEDA, Nankai University, 300457 Tianjin, China
| | - Yuriy A Knirel
- N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation
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30
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Merino S, Gonzalez V, Tomás JM. The Polymerization of Aeromonas hydrophila AH-3 O-Antigen LPS: Concerted Action of WecP and Wzy. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0131905. [PMID: 26161781 PMCID: PMC4498686 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0131905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2014] [Accepted: 06/08/2015] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The repeat units of heteropolymeric O antigen are synthesized at the cytosolic side of the inner bacterial membrane via the Wzx/Wzy-dependent assembly pathway. After being translocated across the membrane by Wzx, each repeat unit is polymerized by Wzy to form a glycan chain. In this study, we demonstrate the need of the corresponding enzyme transferring the initial HexNAc to undecaprenol phosphate (lipid carrier), together with the corresponding O-antigen polymerase (Wzy), to produce the Aeromonas hydrophila O:34-antigen. We suggest, the concerted action of WecA or P enzyme (UDP-HexNAc: polyprenol-P HexNAc-1-P transferase) and Wzy is involved in the mechanism responsible for the A. hydrophila O-antigen polymerization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susana Merino
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Barcelona, Diagonal 643, 08071, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Victor Gonzalez
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Barcelona, Diagonal 643, 08071, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Juan M. Tomás
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Barcelona, Diagonal 643, 08071, Barcelona, Spain
- * E-mail:
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31
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Structure and gene cluster of the O-antigen of Escherichia coli O140. Carbohydr Res 2015; 411:33-6. [PMID: 25965146 DOI: 10.1016/j.carres.2015.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2015] [Revised: 04/07/2015] [Accepted: 04/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
An acidic O-polysaccharide (O-antigen) was isolated from the lipopolysaccharide of Escherichia coli O140 and studied by sugar analysis along with 1D and 2D (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy. The following structure of the branched hexasaccharide repeating unit was established: [Formula: see text]. The O-antigen gene cluster of E. coli O140 was sequenced. The gene functions were tentatively assigned by a comparison with sequences in the available databases and found to be in full agreement with the E. coli O140 polysaccharide structure.
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32
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Related structures of the O-polysaccharides of Cronobacter dublinensis G3983 and G3977 containing 3-(N-acetyl-l-alanyl)amino-3,6-dideoxy-d-galactose. Carbohydr Res 2015; 404:132-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.carres.2014.11.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2014] [Revised: 11/10/2014] [Accepted: 11/12/2014] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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33
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Vozza NF, Feldman MF. Glyco-engineering O-Antigen-Based Vaccines and Diagnostics in E. coli. Methods Mol Biol 2015; 1321:57-70. [PMID: 26082215 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-2760-9_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The biotechnological relevance of protein glycosylation has exponentially grown in recent years. With the advances in protein glycosylation research, new possibilities for glyco-engineering have arisen, and a wide array of glycans can be designed and potentially transferred to target proteins in the biotechnologically relevant host Escherichia coli. Here we provide insight on how to select the best strains and plasmids. We also describe methods for determination of glycan expression and assembly, protein glycosylation using western blot, and preparation of samples for mass spectrometry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas F Vozza
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
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34
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Variations in O-antigen biosynthesis and O-acetylation associated with altered phage sensitivity in Escherichia coli 4s. J Bacteriol 2014; 197:905-12. [PMID: 25512310 DOI: 10.1128/jb.02398-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The O polysaccharide of the lipopolysaccharide (O antigen) of Gram-negative bacteria often serves as a receptor for bacteriophages that can make the phage dependent on a given O-antigen type, thus supporting the concept of the adaptive significance of the O-antigen variability in bacteria. The O-antigen layer also modulates interactions of many bacteriophages with their hosts, limiting the access of the viruses to other cell surface receptors. Here we report variations of O-antigen synthesis and structure in an environmental Escherichia coli isolate, 4s, obtained from horse feces, and its mutants selected for resistance to bacteriophage G7C, isolated from the same fecal sample. The 4s O antigen was found to be serologically, structurally, and genetically related to the O antigen of E. coli O22, differing only in side-chain α-D-glucosylation in the former, mediated by a gtr locus on the chromosome. Spontaneous mutations of E. coli 4s occurring with an unusually high frequency affected either O-antigen synthesis or O-acetylation due to the inactivation of the gene encoding the putative glycosyltransferase WclH or the putative acetyltransferase WclK, respectively, by the insertion of IS1-like elements. These mutations induced resistance to bacteriophage G7C and also modified interactions of E. coli 4s with several other bacteriophages conferring either resistance or sensitivity to the host. These findings suggest that O-antigen synthesis and O-acetylation can both ensure the specific recognition of the O-antigen receptor following infection by some phages and provide protection of the host cells against attack by other phages.
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35
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Brockhausen I. Crossroads between Bacterial and Mammalian Glycosyltransferases. Front Immunol 2014; 5:492. [PMID: 25368613 PMCID: PMC4202792 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2014.00492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2014] [Accepted: 09/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial glycosyltransferases (GT) often synthesize the same glycan linkages as mammalian GT; yet, they usually have very little sequence identity. Nevertheless, enzymatic properties, folding, substrate specificities, and catalytic mechanisms of these enzyme proteins may have significant similarity. Thus, bacterial GT can be utilized for the enzymatic synthesis of both bacterial and mammalian types of complex glycan structures. A comparison is made here between mammalian and bacterial enzymes that synthesize epitopes found in mammalian glycoproteins, and those found in the O antigens of Gram-negative bacteria. These epitopes include Thomsen–Friedenreich (TF or T) antigen, blood group O, A, and B, type 1 and 2 chains, Lewis antigens, sialylated and fucosylated structures, and polysialic acids. Many different approaches can be taken to investigate the substrate binding and catalytic mechanisms of GT, including crystal structure analyses, mutations, comparison of amino acid sequences, NMR, and mass spectrometry. Knowledge of the protein structures and functions helps to design GT for specific glycan synthesis and to develop inhibitors. The goals are to develop new strategies to reduce bacterial virulence and to synthesize vaccines and other biologically active glycan structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inka Brockhausen
- Department of Medicine, Queen's University , Kingston, ON , Canada ; Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University , Kingston, ON , Canada
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36
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Wang S, Czuchry D, Liu B, Vinnikova AN, Gao Y, Vlahakis JZ, Szarek WA, Wang L, Feng L, Brockhausen I. Characterization of two UDP-Gal:GalNAc-diphosphate-lipid β1,3-galactosyltransferases WbwC from Escherichia coli serotypes O104 and O5. J Bacteriol 2014; 196:3122-33. [PMID: 24957618 PMCID: PMC4135647 DOI: 10.1128/jb.01698-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2014] [Accepted: 06/12/2014] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Escherichia coli displays O antigens on the outer membrane that play an important role in bacterial interactions with the environment. The O antigens of enterohemorrhagic E. coli O104 and O5 contain a Galβ1-3GalNAc disaccharide at the reducing end of the repeating unit. Several other O antigens contain this disaccharide, which is identical to the mammalian O-glycan core 1 or the cancer-associated Thomsen-Friedenreich (TF) antigen. We identified the wbwC genes responsible for the synthesis of the disaccharide in E. coli serotypes O104 and O5. To functionally characterize WbwC, an acceptor substrate analog, GalNAcα-diphosphate-phenylundecyl, was synthesized. WbwC reaction products were isolated by high-pressure liquid chromatography and analyzed by mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance, galactosidase and O-glycanase digestion, and anti-TF antibody. The results clearly showed that the Galβ1-3GalNAcα linkage was synthesized, confirming WbwCECO104 and WbwCECO5 as UDP-Gal:GalNAcα-diphosphate-lipid β1,3-Gal-transferases. Sequence analysis revealed a conserved DxDD motif, and mutagenesis showed the importance of these Asp residues in catalysis. The purified enzymes require divalent cations (Mn(2+)) for activity and are specific for UDP-Gal and GalNAc-diphosphate lipid substrates. WbwC was inhibited by bis-imidazolium salts having aliphatic chains of 18 to 22 carbons. This work will help to elucidate mechanisms of polysaccharide synthesis in pathogenic bacteria and provide technology for vaccine synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuo Wang
- Department of Medicine and Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | - Diana Czuchry
- Department of Medicine and Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | - Bin Liu
- TEDA School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Anna N Vinnikova
- Department of Medicine and Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | - Yin Gao
- Department of Medicine and Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jason Z Vlahakis
- Department of Chemistry, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | - Walter A Szarek
- Department of Chemistry, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lei Wang
- TEDA School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Lu Feng
- TEDA School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Inka Brockhausen
- Department of Medicine and Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
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37
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Ovchinnikova OG, Rozalski A, Liu B, Knirel YA. O-antigens of bacteria of the genus providencia: structure, serology, genetics, and biosynthesis. BIOCHEMISTRY (MOSCOW) 2014; 78:798-817. [PMID: 24010842 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297913070110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The genus Providencia consists of eight species of opportunistic pathogenic enterobacteria that can cause enteric diseases and urinary tract infections. The existing combined serological classification scheme of three species, P. alcalifaciens, P. stuartii, and P. rustigianii, is based on the specificity of O-antigens (O-polysaccharides) and comprises 63 O-serogroups. Differences between serogroups are related to polymorphism at a specific genome locus, the O-antigen gene cluster, responsible for O-antigen biosynthesis. This review presents data on structures of 36 O-antigens of Providencia, many of which contain unusual monosaccharides and non-carbohydrate components. The structural data correlate with the immunospecificity of the O-antigens and enable substantiation on a molecular level of serological relationships within the genus Providencia and between strains of Providencia and bacteria of the genera Proteus, Escherichia, and Salmonella. Peculiar features of the O-antigen gene cluster organization in 10 Providencia serogroups and biosynthetic pathways of nucleotide precursors of specific monosaccharide components of the O-antigens also are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- O G Ovchinnikova
- Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119991, Russia.
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38
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Fontana C, Lundborg M, Weintraub A, Widmalm G. Rapid structural elucidation of polysaccharides employing predicted functions of glycosyltransferases and NMR data: application to the O-antigen of Escherichia coli O59. Glycobiology 2014; 24:450-7. [PMID: 24558268 DOI: 10.1093/glycob/cwu011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
A computerized method that uses predicted functions of glycosyltransferases (GTs) in conjunction with unassigned NMR data has been developed for the structural elucidation of bacterial polysaccharides (PSs). In this approach, information about the action of GTs (consisting of possible sugar residues used as donors and/or acceptors, as well as the anomeric configuration and/or substitution position in the respective glycosidic linkages) is extracted from the Escherichia coli O-antigen database and is submitted, together with the unassigned NMR data, to the CASPER program. This time saving methodology, which alleviates the need for chemical analysis, was successfully implemented in the structural elucidation of the O-antigen PS of E. coli O59. The repeating unit of the O-specific chain was determined using the O-deacylated PS and has a branched structure, namely, →6)[α-d-GalpA3Ac/4Ac-(1 → 3)]-α-d-Manp-(1 → 3)-α-d-Manp-(1 → 3)-β-d-Manp-(1 → 3)-α-d-GlcpNAc-(1→. The identification of the O-acetylation positions was efficiently performed by comparison of the (1)H,(13)C HSQC NMR spectra of the O-deacylated lipopolysaccharide and the lipid-free PS in conjunction with chemical shift predictions made by the CASPER program. The side-chain d-GalpA residue carries one equivalent of O-acetyl groups at the O-3 and O-4 positions distributed in the LPS in a 3:7 ratio, respectively. The presence of O-acetyl groups in the repeating unit of the E. coli O59 PS is consistent with the previously proposed acetyltransferase WclD in the O-antigen gene cluster.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Fontana
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Arrhenius Laboratory, Stockholm University, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
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39
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Diversity of o-antigen repeat unit structures can account for the substantial sequence variation of wzx translocases. J Bacteriol 2014; 196:1713-22. [PMID: 24532778 DOI: 10.1128/jb.01323-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The most common system for synthesis of cell surface polysaccharides is the Wzx/Wzy-dependent pathway, which involves synthesis, on the cytoplasmic face of the cell membrane, of repeat units, which are then translocated to the periplasmic face by a Wzx translocase and then polymerized by Wzy to generate the polysaccharide. One such polysaccharide is O antigen, which is incorporated into lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The O antigen is extremely variable, with over 186 forms in Escherichia coli. Wzx proteins are also very diverse, but they have been thought to be specific only for the first sugar of the repeat units. However, recent studies demonstrated examples in which Wzx translocases have considerable preference for their native repeat unit, showing that specificity can extend well beyond the first sugar. These results appear to be in conflict with the early conclusions, but they involved specificity for side branch residues and could be a special case. Here we take six Wzx translocases that were critical in the earlier studies on the importance of the first sugar and assess their ability to translocate the Escherichia coli O16 and O111 repeat units. We use gene replacements to optimize maintenance of expression level and show that under these conditions the native translocases are the most effective for their native repeat unit, being, respectively, 64-fold and 4-fold more effective than the next best. We conclude that Wzx translocases are commonly adapted to their native repeat unit, which provides an explanation for the great diversity of wzx genes.
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Liu B, Knirel YA, Feng L, Perepelov AV, Senchenkova SN, Reeves PR, Wang L. Structural diversity in Salmonella O antigens and its genetic basis. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2013; 38:56-89. [PMID: 23848592 DOI: 10.1111/1574-6976.12034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 151] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2012] [Revised: 05/15/2013] [Accepted: 07/05/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
This review covers the structures and genetics of the 46 O antigens of Salmonella, a major pathogen of humans and domestic animals. The variation in structures underpins the serological specificity of the 46 recognized serogroups. The O antigen is important for the full function and virulence of many bacteria, and the considerable diversity of O antigens can confer selective advantage. Salmonella O antigens can be divided into two major groups: those which have N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) or N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) and those which have galactose (Gal) as the first sugar in the O unit. In recent years, we have determined 21 chemical structures and sequenced 28 gene clusters for GlcNAc-/GalNAc-initiated O antigens, thus completing the structure and DNA sequence data for the 46 Salmonella O antigens. The structures and gene clusters of the GlcNAc-/GalNAc-initiated O antigens were found to be highly diverse, and 24 of them were found to be identical or closely related to Escherichia coli O antigens. Sequence comparisons indicate that all or most of the shared gene clusters were probably present in the common ancestor, although alternative explanations are also possible. In contrast, the better-known eight Gal-initiated O antigens are closely related both in structures and gene cluster sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Liu
- TEDA School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, TEDA, Tianjin, China; The Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin, China
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41
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Abstract
Protein glycosylation and capsular polysaccharide formation are increasingly recognized as playing central roles in the survival and virulence of bacterial pathogens. In this issue of Molecular Microbiology, structural analysis in Acinetobacter baumannii 17978 revealed that a pentasaccharide that decorates glycoproteins is formed of the same building blocks used for capsule biosynthesis demonstrating split roles for this glycan. Disruption of PglC, the initiating glycosyltransferase responsible for attachment of the first sugar to undecaprenylphosphate abolished glycoprotein production and capsule biosynthesis. Both pathways are demonstrated to be important in biofilm formation and pathogenesis, and disabling their synthesis should provide a useful route for antimicrobial design. Shared polysaccharide usage reduces the genetic and metabolic burden in a bacterial cell and is an emerging theme among bacterial pathogens that need to be energy efficient for their streamlined lifestyle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jon Cuccui
- Department of Pathogen Molecular Biology, The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, WC1E 7HT, UK
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42
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Reeves PR, Cunneen MM, Liu B, Wang L. Genetics and evolution of the Salmonella galactose-initiated set of o antigens. PLoS One 2013; 8:e69306. [PMID: 23874940 PMCID: PMC3715488 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0069306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2012] [Accepted: 06/09/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper covers eight Salmonella serogroups, that are defined by O antigens with related structures and gene clusters. They include the serovars that are now most frequently isolated. Serogroups A, B1, B2, C2-C3, D1, D2, D3 and E have O antigens that are distinguished by having galactose as first sugar, and not N-acetyl glucosamine or N-acetyl galactosamine as in the other 38 serogroups, and indeed in most Enterobacteriaceae. The gene clusters for these galactose-initiated appear to have entered S. enterica since its divergence from E. coli, but sequence comparisons show that much of the diversification occurred long before this. We conclude that the gene clusters must have entered S. enterica in a series of parallel events. The individual gene clusters are discussed, followed by analysis of the divergence for those genes shared by two or more gene clusters, and a putative phylogenic tree for the gene clusters is presented. This set of O antigens provides a rare case where it is possible to examine in detail the relationships of a significant number of O antigens. In contrast the more common pattern of O-antigen diversity within a species is for there to be only a few cases of strains having related gene clusters, suggesting that diversity arose through gain of individual O-antigen gene clusters by lateral gene transfer, and under these circumstances the evolution of the diversity is not accessible. This paper on the galactose-initiated set of gene clusters gives new insights into the origins of O-antigen diversity generally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter R Reeves
- School of Molecular Bioscience, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
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43
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Structure and gene cluster of the O-antigen of Escherichia coli O154. Carbohydr Res 2013; 379:51-4. [PMID: 23872328 DOI: 10.1016/j.carres.2013.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2013] [Revised: 06/07/2013] [Accepted: 06/08/2013] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The O-polysaccharide (O-antigen) of Escherichia coli O154 was studied by sugar analysis along with 1D and 2D (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy. The following structure of the branched pentasaccharide repeating unit was established: [structure: see text]. The O-antigen gene cluster of E. coli O154 was sequenced. The gene functions were tentatively assigned by comparison with sequences in the available databases and found to be in full agreement with the O-polysaccharide structure.
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44
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Biosynthesis of UDP-GlcNAc, UndPP-GlcNAc and UDP-GlcNAcA involves three easily distinguished 4-epimerase enzymes, Gne, Gnu and GnaB. PLoS One 2013; 8:e67646. [PMID: 23799153 PMCID: PMC3682973 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0067646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2012] [Accepted: 05/21/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
We have undertaken an extensive survey of a group of epimerases originally named Gne, that were thought to be responsible for inter-conversion of UDP-N-acetylglucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc) and UDP-N-acetylgalactosamine (UDP-GalNAc). The analysis builds on recent work clarifying the specificity of some of these epimerases. We find three well defined clades responsible for inter-conversion of the gluco- and galacto-configuration at C4 of different N-acetylhexosamines. Their major biological roles are the formation of UDP-GalNAc, UDP-N-acetylgalactosaminuronic acid (UDP-GalNAcA) and undecaprenyl pyrophosphate-N-acetylgalactosamine (UndPP-GalNAc) from the corresponding glucose forms. We propose that the clade of UDP-GlcNAcA epimerase genes be named gnaB and the clade of UndPP-GlcNAc epimerase genes be named gnu, while the UDP-GlcNAc epimerase genes retain the name gne. The Gne epimerases, as now defined after exclusion of those to be named GnaB or Gnu, are in the same clade as the GalE 4-epimerases for inter-conversion of UDP-glucose (UDP-Glc) and UDP-galactose (UDP-Gal). This work brings clarity to an area that had become quite confusing. The identification of distinct enzymes for epimerisation of UDP-GlcNAc, UDP-GlcNAcA and UndPP-GlcNAc will greatly facilitate allocation of gene function in polysaccharide gene clusters, including those found in bacterial genome sequences. A table of the accession numbers for the 295 proteins used in the analysis is provided to enable the major tree to be regenerated with the inclusion of additional proteins of interest. This and other suggestions for annotation of 4-epimerase genes will facilitate annotation.
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45
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Ovchinnikova OG, Liu B, Guo D, Kocharova NA, Bialczak-Kokot M, Shashkov AS, Feng L, Rozalski A, Wang L, Knirel YA. Structural, serological, and genetic characterization of the O-antigen of Providencia alcalifaciens O40. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013; 66:382-92. [PMID: 23163869 DOI: 10.1111/1574-695x.12002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2012] [Revised: 07/05/2012] [Accepted: 08/25/2012] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The O-polysaccharide chain of the lipopolysaccharide (O-antigen) on the bacterial cell surface is one of the most structurally variable cell components and serves as a basis for serotyping of Gram-negative bacteria, including human opportunistic pathogens of the genus Providencia. In this work, the O-antigen of Providencia alcalifaciens O40 was obtained by mild acid degradation of the isolated lipopolysaccharide and studied by chemical methods and high-resolution NMR spectroscopy. The following structure of the O-polysaccharide was established: →4)-β-D-Quip3NFo-(1→3)-α-D-Galp-(1→3)-β-D-GlcpA-(1→3)-β-D-GalpNAc-(1→, where GlcA stands for glucuronic acid and Qui3NFo for 3,6-dideoxy-3-formamidoglucose. The O40-antigen was found to be structurally and serologically related to the O-antigens of P. alcalifaciens O5 and Providencia stuartii O18. The O40-antigen gene cluster between cpxA and yibK was sequenced, and the gene functions were predicted in silico. In agreement with the O-polysaccharide structure established, the genes for the synthesis of dTDP-D-Qui3NFo, UDP-D-Gal, UDP-D-GlcA, and UDP-D-GalNAc as well as those encoding three glycosyltransferases, flippase (Wzx), and O-antigen polymerase (Wzy) were recognized. In addition, homologues of wza, wzb, and wzc genes, which are required for the surface expression of capsular polysaccharides, were found within the gene cluster, suggesting that the O-polysaccharide studied is a part of the capsule-related form of the lipopolysaccharide called K(LPS).
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga G Ovchinnikova
- TEDA School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, Tianjin, China.
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Structure and gene cluster of the O-antigen of Escherichia coli O76. Carbohydr Res 2013; 377:14-7. [PMID: 23770694 DOI: 10.1016/j.carres.2013.04.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2013] [Revised: 04/17/2013] [Accepted: 04/22/2013] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The O-polysaccharide (O-antigen) of Escherichia coli O76 was studied by sugar analysis along with 1D and 2D (1)H,(13)C NMR spectroscopies. The following structure of the linear tetrasaccharide repeating unit was established: →4)-β-D-GlcpA-(1→4)-β-D-GalpNAc3Ac-(1→4)-α-D-GalpNAc-(1→3)-β-D-GalpNAc-(1→. The degree of O-acetylation of 4-substituted β-GalNAc residue is ~70%. The O-antigen gene cluster of E. coli O76 was sequenced. The functions of genes in the O-antigen gene cluster were tentatively assigned by comparison with sequences in the available databases and found to be in full agreement with the E. coli O76 O-antigen structure.
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47
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Gao Y, Liu B, Strum S, Schutzbach JS, Druzhinina TN, Utkina NS, Torgov VI, Danilov LL, Veselovsky VV, Vlahakis JZ, Szarek WA, Wang L, Brockhausen I. Biochemical characterization of WbdN, a β1,3-glucosyltransferase involved in O-antigen synthesis in enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157. Glycobiology 2012; 22:1092-102. [PMID: 22556057 DOI: 10.1093/glycob/cws081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The enterohemorrhagic O157 strain of Escherichia coli, which is one of the most well-known bacterial pathogens, has an O-antigen repeating unit structure with the sequence [-2-d-Rha4NAcα1-3-l-Fucα1-4-d-Glcβ1-3-d-GalNAcα1-]. The O-antigen gene cluster of E. coli O157 contains the genes responsible for the assembly of this repeating unit and includes wbdN. In spite of cloning many O-antigen genes, biochemical characterization has been done on very few enzymes involved in O-antigen synthesis. In this work, we expressed the wbdN gene in E. coli BL21, and the His-tagged protein was purified. WbdN activity was characterized using the donor substrate UDP-[(14)C]Glc and the synthetic acceptor substrate GalNAcα-O-PO(3)-PO(3)-(CH(2))(11)-O-Ph. The enzyme product was isolated by high pressure liquid chromatography, and mass spectrometry showed that one Glc residue was transferred to the acceptor by WbdN. Nuclear magnetic resonance analysis of the product structure indicated that Glc was β1-3 linked to GalNAc. WbdN contains a conserved DxD motif and requires divalent metal ions for full activity. WbdN activity has an optimal pH between 7 and 8 and is highly specific for UDP-Glc as the donor substrate. GalNAcα derivatives lacking the diphosphate group were inactive as substrates, and the enzyme did not transfer Glc to GlcNAcα-O-PO(3)-PO(3)-(CH(2))(11)-O-Ph. Our results illustrate that WbdN is a specific UDP-Glc:GalNAcα-diphosphate-lipid β1,3-Glc-transferase. The enzyme is a target for the development of inhibitors to block O157-antigen synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yin Gao
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
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Fontana C, Lundborg M, Weintraub A, Widmalm G. Structural studies and biosynthetic aspects of the O-antigen polysaccharide from Escherichia coli O174. Carbohydr Res 2012; 354:102-5. [PMID: 22572125 DOI: 10.1016/j.carres.2012.02.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2011] [Revised: 02/16/2012] [Accepted: 02/22/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The structure of the repeating unit of the O-antigenic polysaccharide (PS) from Escherichia coli O174 has been determined. Component analysis together with (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy experiments were employed to elucidate the structure. Inter-residue correlations were determined by (1)H,(13)C-heteronuclear multiple-bond correlation and (1)H,(1)H-NOESY experiments. The PS is composed of tetrasaccharide repeating units with the following structure: [formula see text] Cross-peaks of low intensity were present in the NMR spectra consistent with a β-D-GlcpNAc-(1→2)-β-D-GlcpA(1→ structural element at the terminal part of the polysaccharide, which on average is composed of ∼15 repeating units. Consequently the biological repeating unit has a 3-substituted N-acetyl-D-galactosamine residue at its reducing end.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Fontana
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Arrhenius Laboratory, Stockholm University, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
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49
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Narasaki CT, Toman R. Lipopolysaccharide of Coxiella burnetii. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2012; 984:65-90. [PMID: 22711627 DOI: 10.1007/978-94-007-4315-1_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
A lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is considered to be one of the major determinants of virulence expression and infection of virulent Coxiella burnetii. The LPSs from virulent phase I (LPS I) and from avirulent phase II (LPS II) bacteria were investigated for their chemical composition, structure and biological properties. LPS II is of rough (R) type in contrast to LPS I, which is phenotypically smooth (S) and contains a noticeable amount of two sugars virenose (Vir) and dihydrohydroxystreptose (Strep), which have not been found in other LPSs and can be considered as unique biomarkers of the bacterium. Both sugars were suggested to be located mostly in terminal positions of the O-specific chain of LPS I (O-PS I) and to be involved in the immunobiology of Q fever. There is a need to establish a more detailed chemical structure of LPS I in connection with prospective, deeper studies on mechanisms of pathogenesis and immunity of Q fever, its early and reliable diagnosis, and effective prophylaxis against the disease. This will also help to better understanding of host-pathogen interactions and contribute to improved modulation of pathological reactions which in turn are prerequisite for research and development of vaccines of new type. A fundamental understanding of C. burnetii LPS biosynthesis is still lacking. The intracellular nature of the bacterium, lack of genetic tools and its status as a selected agent have made elucidating basic physiological mechanisms challenging. The GDP-β-D-Vir biosynthetic pathway proposed most recently is an important initial step in this endeavour. The current advanced technologies providing the genetic tools necessary to screen C. burnetii mutants and propagate isogenic mutants might speed the discovery process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craig T Narasaki
- Center Department of Microbial and Molecular Pathogenesis, Texas A&M University Health Science, College Station, TX 77843, USA
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50
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Han W, Wu B, Li L, Zhao G, Woodward R, Pettit N, Cai L, Thon V, Wang PG. Defining function of lipopolysaccharide O-antigen ligase WaaL using chemoenzymatically synthesized substrates. J Biol Chem 2011; 287:5357-65. [PMID: 22158874 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m111.308486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The WaaL-mediated ligation of O-antigen onto the core region of the lipid A-core block is an important step in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) biosynthetic pathway. Although the LPS biosynthesis has been largely characterized, only a limited amount of in vitro biochemical evidence has been established for the ligation reaction. Such limitations have primarily resulted from the barriers in purifying WaaL homologues and obtaining chemically defined substrates. Accordingly, we describe herein a chemical biology approach that enabled the reconstitution of this ligation reaction. The O-antigen repeating unit (O-unit) of Escherichia coli O86 was first enzymatically assembled via sequential enzymatic glycosylation of a chemically synthesized GalNAc-pyrophosphate-undecaprenyl precursor. Subsequent expression of WaaL through use of a chaperone co-expression system then enabled the demonstration of the in vitro ligation between the synthesized donor (O-unit-pyrophosphate-undecaprenyl) and the isolated lipid A-core acceptor. The previously reported ATP and divalent metal cation dependence were not observed using this system. Further analyses of other donor substrates revealed that WaaL possesses a highly relaxed specificity toward both the lipid moiety and the glycan moiety of the donor. Lastly, three conserved amino acid residues identified by sequence alignment were found essential for the WaaL activity. Taken together, the present work represents an in vitro systematic investigation of the WaaL function using a chemical biology approach, providing a system that could facilitate the elucidation of the mechanism of WaaL-catalyzed ligation reaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiqing Han
- Department of Chemistry, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30302, USA
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