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Sun R, Yu P, Zuo P, Villagrán D, Mathieu J, Alvarez PJJ. Biofilm Control in Flow-Through Systems Using Polyvalent Phages Delivered by Peptide-Modified M13 Coliphages with Enhanced Polysaccharide Affinity. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:17177-17187. [PMID: 36413403 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c06561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Eradication of biofilms that may harbor pathogens in water distribution systems is an elusive goal due to limited penetration of residual disinfectants. Here, we explore the use of engineered filamentous coliphage M13 for enhanced biofilm affinity and precise delivery of lytic polyvalent phages (i.e., broad-host-range phages lysing multiple host strains after infection). To promote biofilm attachment, we modified the M13 major coat protein (pVIII) by inserting a peptide sequence with high affinity for Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) extracellular polysaccharides (commonly present on the surface of biofilms in natural and engineered systems). Additionally, we engineered the M13 tail fiber protein (pIII) to contain a peptide sequence capable of binding a specific polyvalent lytic phage. The modified M13 had 102- and 5-fold higher affinity for P. aeruginosa-dominated mixed-species biofilms than wildtype M13 and unconjugated polyvalent phage, respectively. When applied to a simulated water distribution system, the resulting phage conjugates achieved targeted phage delivery to the biofilm and were more effective than polyvalent phages alone in reducing live bacterial biomass (84 vs 34%) and biofilm surface coverage (81 vs 22%). Biofilm regrowth was also mitigated as high phage concentrations induced residual bacteria to downregulate genes associated with quorum sensing and extracellular polymeric substance secretion. Overall, we demonstrate that engineered M13 can enable more accurate delivery of polyvalent phages to biofilms in flow-through systems for enhanced biofilm control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruonan Sun
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Pingfeng Yu
- College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Pengxiao Zuo
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Dino Villagrán
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas 79968, United States
| | - Jacques Mathieu
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Pedro J J Alvarez
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
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Type IX Secretion System Cargo Proteins Are Glycosylated at the C Terminus with a Novel Linking Sugar of the Wbp/Vim Pathway. mBio 2020; 11:mBio.01497-20. [PMID: 32873758 PMCID: PMC7468200 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01497-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Porphyromonas gingivalis and Tannerella forsythia, two pathogens associated with severe gum disease, use the type IX secretion system (T9SS) to secrete and attach toxic arrays of virulence factor proteins to their cell surfaces. The proteins are tethered to the outer membrane via glycolipid anchors that have remained unidentified for more than 2 decades. In this study, the first sugar molecules (linking sugars) in these anchors are identified and found to be novel compounds. The novel biosynthetic pathway of these linking sugars is also elucidated. A diverse range of bacteria that do not have the T9SS were found to have the genes for this pathway, suggesting that they may synthesize similar linking sugars for utilization in different systems. Since the cell surface attachment of virulence factors is essential for virulence, these findings reveal new targets for the development of novel therapies. Porphyromonas gingivalis and Tannerella forsythia use the type IX secretion system to secrete cargo proteins to the cell surface where they are anchored via glycolipids. In P. gingivalis, the glycolipid is anionic lipopolysaccharide (A-LPS), of partially known structure. Modified cargo proteins were deglycosylated using trifluoromethanesulfonic acid and digested with trypsin or proteinase K. The residual modifications were then extensively analyzed by tandem mass spectrometry. The C terminus of each cargo protein was amide-bonded to a linking sugar whose structure was deduced to be 2-N-seryl, 3-N-acetylglucuronamide in P. gingivalis and 2-N-glycyl, 3-N-acetylmannuronic acid in T. forsythia. The structures indicated the involvement of the Wbp pathway to produce 2,3-di-N-acetylglucuronic acid and a WbpS amidotransferase to produce the uronamide form of this sugar in P. gingivalis. The wbpS gene was identified as PGN_1234 as its deletion resulted in the inability to produce the uronamide. In addition, the P. gingivalisvimA mutant which lacks A-LPS was successfully complemented by the T. forsythiavimA gene; however, the linking sugar was altered to include glycine rather than serine. After removal of the acetyl group at C-2 by the putative deacetylase, VimE, VimA presumably transfers the amino acid to complete the biosynthesis. The data explain all the enzyme activities required for the biosynthesis of the linking sugar accounting for six A-LPS-specific genes. The linking sugar is therefore the key compound that enables the attachment of cargo proteins in P. gingivalis and T. forsythia. We propose to designate this novel linking sugar biosynthetic pathway the Wbp/Vim pathway.
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Jervis AJ, Wood AG, Cain JA, Butler JA, Frost H, Lord E, Langdon R, Cordwell SJ, Wren BW, Linton D. Functional analysis of the Helicobacter pullorum N-linked protein glycosylation system. Glycobiology 2018; 28:233-244. [PMID: 29340583 PMCID: PMC6025236 DOI: 10.1093/glycob/cwx110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2017] [Accepted: 01/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
N-linked protein glycosylation systems operate in species from all three domains of life. The model bacterial N-linked glycosylation system from Campylobacter jejuni is encoded by pgl genes present at a single chromosomal locus. This gene cluster includes the pglB oligosaccharyltransferase responsible for transfer of glycan from lipid carrier to protein. Although all genomes from species of the Campylobacter genus contain a pgl locus, among the related Helicobacter genus only three evolutionarily related species (H. pullorum, H. canadensis and H. winghamensis) potentially encode N-linked protein glycosylation systems. Helicobacter putative pgl genes are scattered in five chromosomal loci and include two putative oligosaccharyltransferase-encoding pglB genes per genome. We have previously demonstrated the in vitro N-linked glycosylation activity of H. pullorum resulting in transfer of a pentasaccharide to a peptide at asparagine within the sequon (D/E)XNXS/T. In this study, we identified the first H. pullorum N-linked glycoprotein, termed HgpA. Production of histidine-tagged HgpA in the background of insertional knockout mutants of H. pullorum pgl/wbp genes followed by analysis of HgpA glycan structures demonstrated the role of individual gene products in the PglB1-dependent N-linked protein glycosylation pathway. Glycopeptide purification by zwitterionic-hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry identified six glycosites from five H. pullorum proteins, which was consistent with proteins reactive with a polyclonal antiserum generated against glycosylated HgpA. This study demonstrates functioning of a H. pullorum N-linked general protein glycosylation system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian J Jervis
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, SYNBIOCHEM, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Alison G Wood
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Joel A Cain
- School of Molecular Bioscience and Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, 2006Australia
| | - Jonathan A Butler
- School of Healthcare Science, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester M1 5GD, UK
| | - Helen Frost
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Michael Smith Building, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, UK
| | - Elizabeth Lord
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Michael Smith Building, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, UK
| | - Rebecca Langdon
- Pathogen Molecular Biology Unit, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Stuart J Cordwell
- School of Molecular Bioscience and Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, 2006Australia
| | - Brendan W Wren
- Pathogen Molecular Biology Unit, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Dennis Linton
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Michael Smith Building, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, UK
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Steunou AS, Liotenberg S, Soler MN, Briandet R, Barbe V, Astier C, Ouchane S. EmbRS a new two-component system that inhibits biofilm formation and saves Rubrivivax gelatinosus from sinking. Microbiologyopen 2013; 2:431-46. [PMID: 23520142 PMCID: PMC3684757 DOI: 10.1002/mbo3.82] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2013] [Revised: 02/11/2013] [Accepted: 02/15/2013] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Photosynthetic bacteria can switch from planktonic lifestyle to phototrophic biofilm in mats in response to environmental changes. The mechanisms of phototrophic biofilm formation are, however, not characterized. Herein, we report a two-component system EmbRS that controls the biofilm formation in a photosynthetic member of the Burkholderiales order, the purple bacterium Rubrivivax gelatinosus. EmbRS inactivation results in cells that form conspicuous bacterial veils and fast-sinking aggregates in liquid. Biofilm analyses indicated that EmbRS represses the production of an extracellular matrix and biofilm formation. Mapping of transposon mutants that partially or completely restore the wild-type (WT) phenotype allowed the identification of two gene clusters involved in polysaccharide synthesis, one fully conserved only in Thauera sp., a floc-forming wastewater bacterium. A second two-component system BmfRS and a putative diguanylate cyclase BdcA were also identified in this screen suggesting their involvement in biofilm formation in this bacterium. The role of polysaccharides in sinking of microorganisms and organic matter, as well as the importance and the evolution of such regulatory system in phototrophic microorganisms are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Soisig Steunou
- CNRS, CGM, UPR 3404, Université Paris Sud, 1 Ave. de la Terrasse, Gif-sur-Yvette, F-91198, France
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Wetter M, Kowarik M, Steffen M, Carranza P, Corradin G, Wacker M. Engineering, conjugation, and immunogenicity assessment of Escherichia coli O121 O antigen for its potential use as a typhoid vaccine component. Glycoconj J 2012; 30:511-22. [PMID: 23053636 DOI: 10.1007/s10719-012-9451-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2012] [Revised: 09/10/2012] [Accepted: 09/11/2012] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
State-of-the-art production technologies for conjugate vaccines are complex, multi-step processes. An alternative approach to produce glycoconjugates is based on the bacterial N-linked protein glycosylation system first described in Campylobacter jejuni. The C. jejuni N-glycosylation system has been successfully transferred into Escherichia coli, enabling in vivo production of customized recombinant glycoproteins. However, some antigenic bacterial cell surface polysaccharides, like the Vi antigen of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi, have not been reported to be accessible to the bacterial oligosaccharyltransferase PglB, hence hamper development of novel conjugate vaccines against typhoid fever. In this report, Vi-like polysaccharide structures that can be transferred by PglB were evaluated as typhoid vaccine components. A polysaccharide fulfilling these requirements was found in Escherichia coli serovar O121. Inactivation of the E. coli O121 O antigen cluster encoded gene wbqG resulted in expression of O polysaccharides reactive with antibodies raised against the Vi antigen. The structure of the recombinantly expressed mutant O polysaccharide was elucidated using a novel HPLC and mass spectrometry based method for purified undecaprenyl pyrophosphate (Und-PP) linked glycans, and the presence of epitopes also found in the Vi antigen was confirmed. The mutant O antigen structure was transferred to acceptor proteins using the bacterial N-glycosylation system, and immunogenicity of the resulting conjugates was evaluated in mice. The conjugate-induced antibodies reacted in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with E. coli O121 LPS. One animal developed a significant rise in serum immunoglobulin anti-Vi titer upon immunization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Wetter
- GlycoVaxyn AG, Grabenstrasse 3, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
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Identification of genes involved in the acetamidino group modification of the flagellin N-linked glycan of Methanococcus maripaludis. J Bacteriol 2012; 194:2693-702. [PMID: 22408155 DOI: 10.1128/jb.06686-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
N-linked glycosylation of protein is a posttranslational modification found in all three domains of life. The flagellin proteins of the archaeon Methanococcus maripaludis are known to be modified with an N-linked tetrasaccharide consisting of N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc), a diacetylated glucuronic acid (GlcNAc3NAc), an acetylated and acetamidino-modified mannuronic acid with a substituted threonine group (ManNAc3NAmA6Thr), and a novel terminal sugar residue [(5S)-2-acetamido-2,4-dideoxy-5-O-methyl-α-L-erythro-hexos-5-ulo-1,5-pyranose]. To identify genes involved in biosynthesis of the component sugars of this glycan, three genes, mmp1081, mmp1082, and mmp1083, were targeted for in-frame deletion, based on their annotation and proximity to glycosyltransferase genes known to be involved in assembly of the glycan. Mutants carrying a deletion in any of these three genes remained flagellated and motile. A strain with a deletion of mmp1081 had lower-molecular-mass flagellins in Western blots. Mass spectrometry of purified flagella revealed a truncated glycan with the terminal sugar absent and the threonine residue and the acetamidino group missing from the third sugar. No glycan modification was seen in either the Δmmp1082 or Δmmp1083 mutant grown in complex Balch III medium. However, a glycan identical to the Δmmp1081 glycan was observed when the Δmmp1082 or Δmmp1083 mutant was grown under ammonia-limited conditions. We hypothesize that MMP1082 generates ammonia and tunnels it through MMP1083 to MMP1081, which acts as the amidotransferase, modifying the third sugar residue of the M. maripaludis glycan with the acetamidino group.
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Characterization of the structurally diverse N-linked glycans of Campylobacter species. J Bacteriol 2012; 194:2355-62. [PMID: 22389484 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00042-12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The Gram-negative bacterium Campylobacter jejuni encodes an extensively characterized N-linked protein glycosylation system that modifies many surface proteins with a heptasaccharide glycan. In C. jejuni, the genes that encode the enzymes required for glycan biosynthesis and transfer to protein are located at a single pgl gene locus. Similar loci are also present in the genome sequences of all other Campylobacter species, although variations in gene content and organization are evident. In this study, we have demonstrated that only Campylobacter species closely related to C. jejuni produce glycoproteins that interact with both a C. jejuni N-linked-glycan-specific antiserum and a lectin known to bind to the C. jejuni N-linked glycan. In order to further investigate the structure of Campylobacter N-linked glycans, we employed an in vitro peptide glycosylation assay combined with mass spectrometry to demonstrate that Campylobacter species produce a range of structurally distinct N-linked glycans with variations in the number of sugar residues (penta-, hexa-, and heptasaccharides), the presence of branching sugars, and monosaccharide content. These data considerably expand our knowledge of bacterial N-linked glycan structure and provide a framework for investigating the role of glycosyltransferases and sugar biosynthesis enzymes in glycoprotein biosynthesis with practical implications for synthetic biology and glycoengineering.
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Lam JS, Taylor VL, Islam ST, Hao Y, Kocíncová D. Genetic and Functional Diversity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Lipopolysaccharide. Front Microbiol 2011; 2:118. [PMID: 21687428 PMCID: PMC3108286 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2011.00118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 186] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2011] [Accepted: 05/12/2011] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Lipopolysccharide (LPS) is an integral component of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa cell envelope, occupying the outer leaflet of the outer membrane in this Gram-negative opportunistic pathogen. It is important for bacterium-host interactions and has been shown to be a major virulence factor for this organism. Structurally, P. aeruginosa LPS is composed of three domains, namely, lipid A, core oligosaccharide, and the distal O antigen (O-Ag). Most P. aeruginosa strains produce two distinct forms of O-Ag, one a homopolymer of D-rhamnose that is a common polysaccharide antigen (CPA, formerly termed A band), and the other a heteropolymer of three to five distinct (and often unique dideoxy) sugars in its repeat units, known as O-specific antigen (OSA, formerly termed B band). Compositional differences in the O units among the OSA from different strains form the basis of the International Antigenic Typing Scheme for classification via serotyping of different strains of P. aeruginosa. The focus of this review is to provide state-of-the-art knowledge on the genetic and resultant functional diversity of LPS produced by P. aeruginosa. The underlying factors contributing to this diversity will be thoroughly discussed and presented in the context of its contributions to host-pathogen interactions and the control/prevention of infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph S. Lam
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of GuelphGuelph, ON, Canada
| | - Véronique L. Taylor
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of GuelphGuelph, ON, Canada
| | - Salim T. Islam
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of GuelphGuelph, ON, Canada
| | - Youai Hao
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of GuelphGuelph, ON, Canada
| | - Dana Kocíncová
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of GuelphGuelph, ON, Canada
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