Novel protein substrates of the phospho-form modification system in Neisseria gonorrhoeae and their connection to O-linked protein glycosylation

Sweet complexity: O-linked protein glycosylation in pathogenic Neisseria

The genus Neisseria, which colonizes mucosal surfaces, includes both commensal and pathogenic species that are exclusive to humans. The two pathogenic Neisseria species are closely related but cause quite different diseases, meningococcal sepsis and meningitis (Neisseria meningitidis) and sexually transmitted gonorrhea (Neisseria gonorrhoeae). Although obvious differences in bacterial niches and mechanisms for transmission exists, pathogenic Neisseria have high levels of conservation at the levels of nucleotide sequences, gene content and synteny. Species of Neisseria express broad-spectrum O-linked protein glycosylation where the glycoproteins are largely transmembrane proteins or lipoproteins localized on the cell surface or in the periplasm. There are diverse functions among the identified glycoproteins, for example type IV biogenesis proteins, proteins involved in antimicrobial resistance, as well as surface proteins that have been suggested as vaccine candidates. The most abundant glycoprotein, PilE, is the major subunit of pili which are an important colonization factor. The glycans attached can vary extensively due to phase variation of protein glycosylation (pgl) genes and polymorphic pgl gene content. The exact roles of glycosylation in Neisseria remains to be determined, but increasing evidence suggests that glycan variability can be a strategy to evade the human immune system. In addition, pathogenic and commensal Neisseria appear to have significant glycosylation differences. Here, the current knowledge and implications of protein glycosylation genes, glycan diversity, glycoproteins and immunogenicity in pathogenic Neisseria are summarized and discussed.

Combining FAIMS based glycoproteomics and DIA proteomics reveals widespread proteome alterations in response to glycosylation occupancy changes in Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Protein glycosylation is increasingly recognized as a common protein modification across bacterial species. Within the Neisseria genus O-linked protein glycosylation is conserved yet closely related Neisseria species express O-oligosaccharyltransferases (PglOs) with distinct targeting activities. Within this work, we explore the targeting capacity of different PglOs using Field Asymmetric Waveform Ion Mobility Spectrometry (FAIMS) fractionation and Data-Independent Acquisition (DIA) to allow the characterization of the impact of changes in glycosylation on the proteome of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. We demonstrate FAIMS expands the known glycoproteome of wild type N. gonorrhoeae MS11 and enables differences in glycosylation to be assessed across strains expressing different pglO allelic chimeras with unique substrate targeting activities. Combining glycoproteomic insights with DIA proteomics, we demonstrate that alterations within pglO alleles have widespread impacts on the proteome of N. gonorrhoeae. Examination of peptides known to be targeted by glycosylation using DIA analysis supports alterations in glycosylation occupancy occurs independently of changes in protein levels and that the occupancy of glycosylation is generally low on most glycoproteins. This work thus expands our understanding of the N. gonorrhoeae glycoproteome and the roles that pglO allelic variation may play in governing genus-level protein glycosylation.

Phosphoethanolamine Transferases as Drug Discovery Targets for Therapeutic Treatment of Multi-Drug Resistant Pathogenic Gram-Negative Bacteria

Antibiotic resistance caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria is a major challenge to global public health. Polymyxins are increasingly being used as last-in-line antibiotics to treat MDR Gram-negative bacterial infections, but resistance development renders them ineffective for empirical therapy. The main mechanism that bacteria use to defend against polymyxins is to modify the lipid A headgroups of the outer membrane by adding phosphoethanolamine (PEA) moieties. In addition to lipid A modifying PEA transferases, Gram-negative bacteria possess PEA transferases that decorate proteins and glycans. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the function, structure, and mechanism of action of PEA transferases identified in pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria. It also summarizes the current drug development progress targeting this enzyme family, which could reverse antibiotic resistance to polymyxins to restore their utility in empiric therapy.

Sculpting the Bacterial O-Glycoproteome: Functional Analyses of Orthologous Oligosaccharyltransferases with Diverse Targeting Specificities

Protein glycosylation systems are widely recognized in bacteria, including members of the genus Neisseria. In most bacterial species, the molecular mechanisms and evolutionary contexts underpinning target protein selection and the glycan repertoire remain poorly understood. Broad-spectrum O-linked protein glycosylation occurs in all human-associated species groups within the genus Neisseria, but knowledge of their individual glycoprotein repertoires is limited. Interestingly, PilE, the pilin subunit of the type IV pilus (Tfp) colonization factor, is glycosylated in Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitidis but not in the deeply branching species N. elongata subsp. glycolytica. To examine this in more detail, we assessed PilE glycosylation status across the genus and found that PilEs of commensal clade species are not modified by the gonococcal PglO oligosaccharyltransferase. Experiments using PglO oligosaccharyltransferases from across the genus expressed in N. gonorrhoeae showed that although all were capable of broad-spectrum protein glycosylation, those from a deep-branching group of commensals were unable to support resident PilE glycosylation. Further glycoproteomic analyses of these strains using immunoblotting and mass spectrometry revealed other proteins differentially targeted by otherwise remarkably similar oligosaccharyltransferases. Finally, we generated pglO allelic chimeras that begin to localize PglO protein domains associated with unique substrate targeting activities. These findings reveal previously unappreciated differences within the protein glycosylation systems of highly related bacterial species. We propose that the natural diversity manifest in the neisserial protein substrates and oligosaccharyltransferases has significant potential to inform the structure-function relationships operating in these and related bacterial protein glycosylation systems. IMPORTANCE Although general protein glycosylation systems have been well recognized in prokaryotes, the processes governing their distribution, function, and evolution remain poorly understood. Here, we have begun to address these gaps in knowledge by comparative analyses of broad-spectrum O-linked protein glycosylation manifest in species within the genus Neisseria that strictly colonize humans. Using N. gonorrhoeae as a well-defined model organism in conjunction with comparative genomics, intraspecies gene complementation, and glycoprotein phenotyping, we discovered clear differences in both glycosylation susceptibilities and enzymatic targeting activities of otherwise largely conserved proteins. These findings reveal previously unappreciated differences within the protein glycosylation systems of highly related bacterial species. We propose that the natural diversity manifest within Neisseria species has significant potential to elucidate the structure-function relationships operating in these and related systems and to inform novel approaches to applied glycoengineering strategies.

Mammalian Atg8 proteins and the autophagy factor IRGM control mTOR and TFEB at a regulatory node critical for responses to pathogens

Autophagy is a homeostatic process with multiple functions in mammalian cells. Here, we show that mammalian Atg8 proteins (mAtg8s) and the autophagy regulator IRGM control TFEB, a transcriptional activator of the lysosomal system. IRGM directly interacted with TFEB and promoted the nuclear translocation of TFEB. An mAtg8 partner of IRGM, GABARAP, interacted with TFEB. Deletion of all mAtg8s or GABARAPs affected the global transcriptional response to starvation and downregulated subsets of TFEB targets. IRGM and GABARAPs countered the action of mTOR as a negative regulator of TFEB. This was suppressed by constitutively active RagB, an activator of mTOR. Infection of macrophages with the membrane-permeabilizing microbe Mycobacterium tuberculosis or infection of target cells by HIV elicited TFEB activation in an IRGM-dependent manner. Thus, IRGM and its interactors mAtg8s close a loop between the autophagosomal pathway and the control of lysosomal biogenesis by TFEB, thus ensuring coordinated activation of the two systems that eventually merge during autophagy.

Integrated Bioinformatic Analyses and Immune Characterization of New Neisseria gonorrhoeae Vaccine Antigens Expressed during Natural Mucosal Infection

There is an increasingly severe trend of antibiotic-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains worldwide and new therapeutic strategies are needed against this sexually-transmitted pathogen. Despite the urgency, progress towards a gonococcal vaccine has been slowed by a scarcity of suitable antigens, lack of correlates of protection in humans and limited animal models of infection. N. gonorrhoeae gene expression levels in the natural human host does not reflect expression in vitro, further complicating in vitro-basedvaccine analysis platforms. We designed a novel candidate antigen selection strategy (CASS), based on a reverse vaccinology-like approach coupled with bioinformatics. We utilized the CASS to mine gonococcal proteins expressed during human mucosal infection, reported in our previous studies, and focused on a large pool of hypothetical proteins as an untapped source of potential new antigens. Via two discovery and analysis phases (DAP), we identified 36 targets predicted to be immunogenic, membrane-associated proteins conserved in N. gonorrhoeae and suitable for recombinant expression. Six initial candidates were produced and used to immunize mice. Characterization of the immune responses indicated cross-reactive antibodies and serum bactericidal activity against different N. gonorrhoeae strains. These results support the CASS as a tool for the discovery of new vaccine candidates.

Phosphorylation of Syntaxin 17 by TBK1 Controls Autophagy Initiation

Syntaxin 17 (Stx17) has been implicated in autophagosome-lysosome fusion. Here, we report that Stx17 functions in assembly of protein complexes during autophagy initiation. Stx17 is phosphorylated by TBK1 whereby phospho-Stx17 controls the formation of the ATG13⁺FIP200⁺ mammalian pre-autophagosomal structure (mPAS) in response to induction of autophagy. TBK1 phosphorylates Stx17 at S202. During autophagy induction, Stx17^pS202 transfers from the Golgi, where its steady-state pools localize, to the ATG13⁺FIP200⁺ mPAS. Stx17^pS202 was in complexes with ATG13 and FIP200, whereas its non-phosphorylatable mutant Stx17^S202A was not. Stx17 or TBK1 knockouts blocked ATG13 and FIP200 puncta formation. Stx17 or TBK1 knockouts reduced the formation of ATG13 protein complexes with FIP200 and ULK1. Endogenous Stx17^pS202 colocalized with LC3B following induction of autophagy. Stx17 knockout diminished LC3 response and reduced sequestration of the prototypical bulk autophagy cargo lactate dehydrogenase. We conclude that Stx17 is a TBK1 substrate and that together they orchestrate assembly of mPAS.

Structural and Functional Characterization of the BcsG Subunit of the Cellulose Synthase in Salmonella typhimurium

Many bacteria secrete cellulose, which forms the structural basis for bacterial multicellular aggregates, termed biofilms. The cellulose synthase complex of Salmonella typhimurium consists of the catalytic subunits BcsA and BcsB and several auxiliary subunits that are encoded by two divergently transcribed operons, bcsRQABZC and bcsEFG. Expression of the bcsEFG operon is required for full-scale cellulose production, but the functions of its products are not fully understood. This work aimed to characterize the BcsG subunit of the cellulose synthase, which consists of an N-terminal transmembrane fragment and a C-terminal domain in the periplasm. Deletion of the bcsG gene substantially decreased the total amount of BcsA and cellulose production. BcsA levels were partially restored by the expression of the transmembrane segment, whereas restoration of cellulose production required the presence of the C-terminal periplasmic domain and its characteristic metal-binding residues. The high-resolution crystal structure of the periplasmic domain characterized BcsG as a member of the alkaline phosphatase/sulfatase superfamily of metalloenzymes, containing a conserved Zn²⁺-binding site. Sequence and structural comparisons showed that BcsG belongs to a specific family within alkaline phosphatase-like enzymes, which includes bacterial Zn²⁺-dependent lipopolysaccharide phosphoethanolamine transferases such as MCR-1 (colistin resistance protein), EptA, and EptC and the Mn²⁺-dependent lipoteichoic acid synthase (phosphoglycerol transferase) LtaS. These enzymes use the phospholipids phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylglycerol, respectively, as substrates. These data are consistent with the recently discovered phosphoethanolamine modification of cellulose by BcsG and show that its membrane-bound and periplasmic parts play distinct roles in the assembly of the functional cellulose synthase and cellulose production.

A glimpse into the modulation of post-translational modifications of human-colonizing bacteria

Protein post-translational modifications (PTMs) are a key bacterial feature that holds the capability to modulate protein function and responses to environmental cues. Until recently, their role in the regulation of prokaryotic systems has been largely neglected. However, the latest developments in mass spectrometry-based proteomics have allowed an unparalleled identification and quantification of proteins and peptides that undergo PTMs in bacteria, including in species which directly or indirectly affect human health. Herein, we address this issue by carrying out the largest and most comprehensive global pooling and comparison of PTM peptides and proteins from bacterial species performed to date. Data was collected from 91 studies relating to PTM bacterial peptides or proteins identified by mass spectrometry-based methods. The present analysis revealed that there was a considerable overlap between PTMs across species, especially between acetylation and other PTMs, particularly succinylation. Phylogenetically closer species may present more overlapping phosphoproteomes, but environmental triggers also contribute to this proximity. PTMs among bacteria were found to be extremely versatile and diverse, meaning that the same protein may undergo a wide variety of different modifications across several species, but it could also suffer different modifications within the same species.

Isolation and characterization of Neisseria musculi sp. nov., from the wild house mouse

Members of the genus Neisseria have been isolated from or detected in a wide range of animals, from non-human primates and felids to a rodent, the guinea pig. By means of selective culture, biochemical testing, Gram staining and PCR screening for the Neisseria-specific internal transcribed spacer region of the rRNA operon, we isolated four strains of the genus Neisseria from the oral cavity of the wild house mouse, Mus musculus subsp. domesticus. The isolates are highly related and form a separate clade in the genus, as judged by tree analyses using either multi-locus sequence typing of ribosomal genes or core genes. One isolate, provisionally named Neisseria musculi sp. nov. (type strain AP2031T=DSM 101846T=CCUG 68283T=LMG 29261T), was studied further. Strain AP2031T/N. musculi grew well in vitro. It was naturally competent, taking up DNA in a DNA uptake sequence and pilT-dependent manner, and was amenable to genetic manipulation. These and other genomic attributes of N. musculi sp. nov. make it an ideal candidate for use in developing a mouse model for studying Neisseria-host interactions.

Proteomics of Neisseria gonorrhoeae: the treasure hunt for countermeasures against an old disease

Neisseria gonorrhoeae is an exquisitely adapted, strictly human pathogen and the causative agent of the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhea. This ancient human disease remains a serious problem, occurring at high incidence globally and having a major impact on reproductive and neonatal health. N. gonorrhoeae is rapidly evolving into a superbug and no effective vaccine exists to prevent gonococcal infections. Untreated or inadequately treated gonorrhea can lead to severe sequelae, including pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility in women, epididymitis in men, and sight-threatening conjunctivitis in infants born to infected mothers. Therefore, there is an immediate need for accelerated research toward the identification of molecular targets for development of drugs with new mechanisms of action and preventive vaccine(s). Global proteomic approaches are ideally suited to guide these studies. Recent quantitative proteomics (SILAC, iTRAQ, and ICAT) have illuminated the pathways utilized by N. gonorrhoeae to adapt to different lifestyles and micro-ecological niches within the host, while comparative 2D SDS-PAGE analysis has been used to elucidate spectinomycin resistance mechanisms. Further, high-throughput examinations of cell envelopes and naturally released membrane vesicles have unveiled the ubiquitous and differentially expressed proteins between temporally and geographically diverse N. gonorrhoeae isolates. This review will focus on these different approaches, emphasizing the role of proteomics in the search for vaccine candidates. Although our knowledge of N. gonorrhoeae has been expanded, still far less is known about this bacterium than the closely related N. meningitidis, where genomics- and proteomics-driven studies have led to the successful development of vaccines.

The sweet tooth of bacteria: common themes in bacterial glycoconjugates

Humans have been increasingly recognized as being superorganisms, living in close contact with a microbiota on all their mucosal surfaces. However, most studies on the human microbiota have focused on gaining comprehensive insights into the composition of the microbiota under different health conditions (e.g., enterotypes), while there is also a need for detailed knowledge of the different molecules that mediate interactions with the host. Glycoconjugates are an interesting class of molecules for detailed studies, as they form a strain-specific barcode on the surface of bacteria, mediating specific interactions with the host. Strikingly, most glycoconjugates are synthesized by similar biosynthesis mechanisms. Bacteria can produce their major glycoconjugates by using a sequential or an en bloc mechanism, with both mechanistic options coexisting in many species for different macromolecules. In this review, these common themes are conceptualized and illustrated for all major classes of known bacterial glycoconjugates, with a special focus on the rather recently emergent field of glycosylated proteins. We describe the biosynthesis and importance of glycoconjugates in both pathogenic and beneficial bacteria and in both Gram-positive and -negative organisms. The focus lies on microorganisms important for human physiology. In addition, the potential for a better knowledge of bacterial glycoconjugates in the emerging field of glycoengineering and other perspectives is discussed.

Type IV pilus assembly proficiency and dynamics influence pilin subunit phospho-form macro- and microheterogeneity in Neisseria gonorrhoeae

The PilE pilin subunit protein of the gonococcal Type IV pilus (Tfp) colonization factor undergoes multisite, covalent modification with the zwitterionic phospho-form modification phosphoethanolamine (PE). In a mutant lacking the pilin-like PilV protein however, PilE is modified with a mixture of PE and phosphocholine (PC). Moreover, intrastrain variation of PilE PC modification levels have been observed in backgrounds that constitutively express PptA (the protein phospho-form transferase A) required for both PE and PC modification. The molecular basis underlying phospho-form microheterogeneity in these instances remains poorly defined. Here, we examined the effects of mutations at numerous loci that disrupt or perturb Tfp assembly and observed that these mutants phenocopy the pilV mutant vis a vis phospho-form modification status. Thus, PC modification appears to be directly or indirectly responsive to the efficacy of pilin subunit interactions. Despite the complexity of contributing factors identified here, the data favor a model in which increased retention in the inner membrane may act as a key signal in altering phospho-form modification. These results also provide an alternative explanation for the variation in PilE PC levels observed previously and that has been assumed to be due to phase variation of pptA. Moreover, mass spectrometry revealed evidence for mono- and di-methylated forms of PE attached to PilE in mutants deficient in pilus assembly, directly implicating a methyltransferase-based pathway for PC synthesis in N. gonorrhoeae.

Type IV pilin proteins: versatile molecular modules

Type IV pili (T4P) are multifunctional protein fibers produced on the surfaces of a wide variety of bacteria and archaea. The major subunit of T4P is the type IV pilin, and structurally related proteins are found as components of the type II secretion (T2S) system, where they are called pseudopilins; of DNA uptake/competence systems in both Gram-negative and Gram-positive species; and of flagella, pili, and sugar-binding systems in the archaea. This broad distribution of a single protein family implies both a common evolutionary origin and a highly adaptable functional plan. The type IV pilin is a remarkably versatile architectural module that has been adopted widely for a variety of functions, including motility, attachment to chemically diverse surfaces, electrical conductance, acquisition of DNA, and secretion of a broad range of structurally distinct protein substrates. In this review, we consider recent advances in this research area, from structural revelations to insights into diversity, posttranslational modifications, regulation, and function.

Lactobacillus plantarum WCFS1 O-linked protein glycosylation: an extended spectrum of target proteins and modification sites detected by mass spectrometry

It has recently been shown that the major autolysin Acm2 from Lactobacillus plantarum WCFS1 undergoes intracellular O-GlcNAcylation [Fredriksen L, Mathiesen G, Moen A, Bron PA, Kleerebezem M, Eijsink VG, Egge-Jacobsen W. 2012. The major autolysin Acm2 from Lactobacillus plantarum undergoes cytoplasmic O-glycosylation. J Bacteriol. 194(2):325-333]. To gain more insight into the occurrence of this protein modification, methods based on the higher energy collisional fragmentation of the Orbitrap XL mass spectrometer to generate both diagnostic oxonium (glycan) ions and significant peptide sequencing information were used to detect and identify novel glycoproteins. This led to the identification of 10 novel glycoproteins, including four proteins with well-known functions in the cytoplasm, a compartment not previously recognized to contain glycosylated proteins in bacteria: the molecular chaperone DnaK, the E2 subunit of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex PdhC, the signal recognition particle receptor FtsY and the DNA translocase FtsK1. Among the other, glycosylated proteins were two extracellular peptidoglycan hydrolases and a mucus-binding protein. In total, 49 glycosylation sites for N-acetylhexosamine (HexNAc) were detected in the 11 Lactobacillus glycoproteins found so far. Most of the attached glycans consisted of a single HexNAc per site, whereas hexose moieties were also found in a few cases (in both of the peptidoglycan hydrolases and in DnaK).

Beyond gene expression: the impact of protein post-translational modifications in bacteria

The post-translational modification (PTM) of proteins plays a critical role in the regulation of a broad range of cellular processes in eukaryotes. Yet their role in governing similar systems in the conventionally presumed 'simpler' forms of life has been largely neglected and, until recently, was thought to occur only rarely, with some modifications assumed to be limited to higher organisms alone. Recent developments in mass spectrometry-based proteomics have provided an unparalleled power to enrich, identify and quantify peptides with PTMs. Additional modifications to biological molecules such as lipids and carbohydrates that are essential for bacterial pathophysiology have only recently been detected on proteins. Here we review bacterial protein PTMs, focusing on phosphorylation, acetylation, proteolytic degradation, methylation and lipidation and the roles they play in bacterial adaptation - thus highlighting the importance of proteomic techniques in a field that is only just in its infancy. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Trends in Microbial Proteomics.

Bacterial protein N-glycosylation: new perspectives and applications

Protein glycosylation is widespread throughout all three domains of life. Bacterial protein N-glycosylation and its application to engineering recombinant glycoproteins continue to be actively studied. Here, we focus on advances made in the last 2 years, including the characterization of novel bacterial N-glycosylation pathways, examination of pathway enzymes and evolution, biological roles of protein modification in the native host, and exploitation of the N-glycosylation pathways to create novel vaccines and diagnostics.

Hypomorphic glycosyltransferase alleles and recoding at contingency loci influence glycan microheterogeneity in the protein glycosylation system of Neisseria species

As more bacterial protein glycosylation systems are identified and characterized, a central question that arises is, what governs the prevalence of particular glycans associated with them? In addition, accumulating evidence shows that bacterial protein glycans can be subject to the phenomenon of microheterogeneity, in which variant glycan structures are found at specific attachment sites of a given glycoprotein. Although factors underlying microheterogeneity in reconstituted expression systems have been identified and modeled, those impacting natural systems largely remain enigmatic. On the basis of a sensitive and specific glycan serotyping system, microheterogeneity has been reported for the broad-spectrum, O-linked protein glycosylation system in species within the genus Neisseria. To elucidate the mechanisms involved, a genetic approach was used to identify a hypomorphic allele of pglA (encoding the PglA galactosyltransferase) as a significant contributor to simultaneous expression of multiple glycoforms. Moreover, this phenotype was mapped to a single amino acid polymorphism in PglA. Further analyses revealed that many pglA phase-off variants (containing out-of-frame configurations in simple nucleotide repeats within the open reading frame) were associated with disproportionally high levels of the N,N'-diacetylbacillosamine-Gal disaccharide glycoform generated by PglA. This phenotype is emblematic of nonstandard decoding involving programmed ribosomal frameshifting and/or programmed transcriptional realignment. Together, these findings provide new information regarding the mechanisms of neisserial protein glycan microheterogeneity and the anticipatory nature of contingency loci.

Modification of the Campylobacter jejuni N-linked glycan by EptC protein-mediated addition of phosphoethanolamine

Campylobacter jejuni is the major worldwide cause of bacterial gastroenteritis. C. jejuni possesses an extensive repertoire of carbohydrate structures that decorate both protein and non-protein surface-exposed structures. An N-linked glycosylation system encoded by the pgl gene cluster mediates the synthesis of a rigidly conserved heptasaccharide that is attached to protein substrates or released as free oligosaccharide in the periplasm. Removal of N-glycosylation results in reduced virulence and impeded host cell attachment. Since the N-glycan is conserved, the N-glycosylation system is also an attractive option for glycoengineering recombinant vaccines in Escherichia coli. To determine whether non-canonical N-glycans are present in C. jejuni, we utilized high throughput glycoproteomics to characterize C. jejuni JHH1 and identified 93 glycosylation sites, including 34 not previously reported. Interrogation of these data allowed the identification of a phosphoethanolamine (pEtN)-modified variant of the N-glycan that was attached to multiple proteins. The pEtN moiety was attached to the terminal GalNAc of the canonical N-glycan. Deletion of the pEtN transferase eptC removed all evidence of the pEtN-glycan but did not globally influence protein reactivity to patient sera, whereas deletion of the pglB oligosaccharyltransferase significantly reduced reactivity. Transfer of eptC and the pgl gene cluster to E. coli confirmed the addition of the pEtN-glycan to a target C. jejuni protein. Significantly reduced, yet above background levels of pEtN-glycan were also observed in E. coli not expressing eptC, suggesting that endogenous E. coli pEtN transferases can mediate the addition of pEtN to N-glycans. The addition of pEtN must be considered in the context of glycoengineering and may alter C. jejuni glycan-mediated structure-function interactions.

Proteomics reveals evidence of cross-talk between protein modifications in bacteria: focus on acetylation and phosphorylation

Recent advances in gel-free, mass spectrometry-based proteomics have firmly established existence of serine phosphorylation, threonine phosphorylation, tyrosine phosphorylation and lysine acetylation on many bacterial proteins. Intriguingly, numerous proteins have been shown to be modified by both modifications, leading to the emerging concept of cross-talk between posttranslational modifications in bacteria. This concept is further supported by biological follow-up studies that are starting to reveal bacterial proteins and processes regulated by multiple modifications. In this review, we provide an overview of the large-scale studies involving protein phosphorylation and acetylation in bacteria and discuss some of the current examples of cross-talk between these and other bacterial modifications.