1
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Cifuente JO, Colleoni C, Kalscheuer R, Guerin ME. Architecture, Function, Regulation, and Evolution of α-Glucans Metabolic Enzymes in Prokaryotes. Chem Rev 2024; 124:4863-4934. [PMID: 38606812 PMCID: PMC11046441 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.3c00811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
Bacteria have acquired sophisticated mechanisms for assembling and disassembling polysaccharides of different chemistry. α-d-Glucose homopolysaccharides, so-called α-glucans, are the most widespread polymers in nature being key components of microorganisms. Glycogen functions as an intracellular energy storage while some bacteria also produce extracellular assorted α-glucans. The classical bacterial glycogen metabolic pathway comprises the action of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase and glycogen synthase, whereas extracellular α-glucans are mostly related to peripheral enzymes dependent on sucrose. An alternative pathway of glycogen biosynthesis, operating via a maltose 1-phosphate polymerizing enzyme, displays an essential wiring with the trehalose metabolism to interconvert disaccharides into polysaccharides. Furthermore, some bacteria show a connection of intracellular glycogen metabolism with the genesis of extracellular capsular α-glucans, revealing a relationship between the storage and structural function of these compounds. Altogether, the current picture shows that bacteria have evolved an intricate α-glucan metabolism that ultimately relies on the evolution of a specific enzymatic machinery. The structural landscape of these enzymes exposes a limited number of core catalytic folds handling many different chemical reactions. In this Review, we present a rationale to explain how the chemical diversity of α-glucans emerged from these systems, highlighting the underlying structural evolution of the enzymes driving α-glucan bacterial metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier O. Cifuente
- Instituto
Biofisika (UPV/EHU, CSIC), University of
the Basque Country, E-48940 Leioa, Spain
| | - Christophe Colleoni
- University
of Lille, CNRS, UMR8576-UGSF -Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale
et Fonctionnelle, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Rainer Kalscheuer
- Institute
of Pharmaceutical Biology and Biotechnology, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Dusseldorf, Germany
| | - Marcelo E. Guerin
- Structural
Glycobiology Laboratory, Department of Structural and Molecular Biology, Molecular Biology Institute of Barcelona (IBMB), Spanish
National Research Council (CSIC), Barcelona Science Park, c/Baldiri Reixac 4-8, Tower R, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
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2
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Anderson AJ, Dodge GJ, Allen KN, Imperiali B. Co-conserved sequence motifs are predictive of substrate specificity in a family of monotopic phosphoglycosyl transferases. Protein Sci 2023; 32:e4646. [PMID: 37096962 PMCID: PMC10186338 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023]
Abstract
Monotopic phosphoglycosyl transferases (monoPGTs) are an expansive superfamily of enzymes that catalyze the first membrane-committed step in the biosynthesis of bacterial glycoconjugates. MonoPGTs show a strong preference for their cognate nucleotide diphospho-sugar (NDP-sugar) substrates. However, despite extensive characterization of the monoPGT superfamily through previous development of a sequence similarity network comprising >38,000 nonredundant sequences, the connection between monoPGT sequence and NDP-sugar substrate specificity has remained elusive. In this work, we structurally characterize the C-terminus of a prototypic monoPGT for the first time and show that 19 C-terminal residues play a significant structural role in a subset of monoPGTs. This new structural information facilitated the identification of co-conserved sequence "fingerprints" that predict NDP-sugar substrate specificity for this subset of monoPGTs. A Hidden Markov model was generated that correctly assigned the substrate of previously unannotated monoPGTs. Together, these structural, sequence, and biochemical analyses have delivered new insight into the determinants guiding substrate specificity of monoPGTs and have provided a strategy for assigning the NDP-sugar substrate of a subset of enzymes in the superfamily that use UDP-di-N-acetyl bacillosamine. Moving forward, this approach may be applied to identify additional sequence motifs that serve as fingerprints for monoPGTs of differing UDP-sugar substrate specificity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa J. Anderson
- Department of Biology and Department of ChemistryMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | - Greg J. Dodge
- Department of Biology and Department of ChemistryMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | - Karen N. Allen
- Department of ChemistryBoston UniversityBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Barbara Imperiali
- Department of Biology and Department of ChemistryMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
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3
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Dodge GJ, Bernstein HM, Imperiali B. A generalizable protocol for expression and purification of membrane-bound bacterial phosphoglycosyl transferases in liponanoparticles. Protein Expr Purif 2023; 207:106273. [PMID: 37068720 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2023.106273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/19/2023]
Abstract
Phosphoglycosyl transferases (PGTs) are among the first membrane-bound enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of bacterial glycoconjugates. Robust expression and purification protocols for an abundant subfamily of PGTs remains lacking. Recent advancements in detergent-free methods for membrane protein solubilization open the door for purification of difficult membrane proteins directly from cell membranes into native-like liponanoparticles. By leveraging autoinduction, in vivo SUMO tag cleavage, styrene maleic acid co-polymer liponanoparticles (SMALPs), and Strep-Tag purification, we have established a robust workflow for expression and purification of previously unobtainable PGTs. The material generated from this workflow is extremely pure and can be directly visualized by Cryogenic Electron Microscopy (CryoEM). The methods presented here promise to be generalizable to additional membrane proteins recombinantly expressed in E. coli and should be of interest to the greater membrane proteomics community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Greg J Dodge
- Department of Biology and Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Hannah M Bernstein
- Department of Biology and Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Barbara Imperiali
- Department of Biology and Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
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4
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Surface Glucan Structures in Aeromonas spp. Mar Drugs 2021; 19:md19110649. [PMID: 34822520 PMCID: PMC8625153 DOI: 10.3390/md19110649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Aeromonas spp. are generally found in aquatic environments, although they have also been isolated from both fresh and processed food. These Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacteria are mostly infective to poikilothermic animals, although they are also considered opportunistic pathogens of both aquatic and terrestrial homeotherms, and some species have been associated with gastrointestinal and extraintestinal septicemic infections in humans. Among the different pathogenic factors associated with virulence, several cell-surface glucans have been shown to contribute to colonization and survival of Aeromonas pathogenic strains, in different hosts. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), capsule and α-glucan structures, for instance, have been shown to play important roles in bacterial–host interactions related to pathogenesis, such as adherence, biofilm formation, or immune evasion. In addition, glycosylation of both polar and lateral flagella has been shown to be mandatory for flagella production and motility in different Aeromonas strains, and has also been associated with increased bacterial adhesion, biofilm formation, and induction of the host proinflammatory response. The main aspects of these structures are covered in this review.
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5
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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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6
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Glycoconjugate pathway connections revealed by sequence similarity network analysis of the monotopic phosphoglycosyl transferases. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2018289118. [PMID: 33472976 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2018289118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The monotopic phosphoglycosyl transferase (monoPGT) superfamily comprises over 38,000 nonredundant sequences represented in bacterial and archaeal domains of life. Members of the superfamily catalyze the first membrane-committed step in en bloc oligosaccharide biosynthetic pathways, transferring a phosphosugar from a soluble nucleoside diphosphosugar to a membrane-resident polyprenol phosphate. The singularity of the monoPGT fold and its employment in the pivotal first membrane-committed step allows confident assignment of both protein and corresponding pathway. The diversity of the family is revealed by the generation and analysis of a sequence similarity network for the superfamily, with fusion of monoPGTs with other pathway members being the most frequent and extensive elaboration. Three common fusions were identified: sugar-modifying enzymes, glycosyl transferases, and regulatory domains. Additionally, unexpected fusions of the monoPGT with members of the polytopic PGT superfamily were discovered, implying a possible evolutionary link through the shared polyprenol phosphate substrate. Notably, a phylogenetic reconstruction of the monoPGT superfamily shows a radial burst of functionalization, with a minority of members comprising only the minimal PGT catalytic domain. The commonality and identity of the fusion partners in the monoPGT superfamily is consistent with advantageous colocalization of pathway members at membrane interfaces.
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7
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Pérez-Burgos M, García-Romero I, Valvano MA, Søgaard Andersen L. Identification of the Wzx flippase, Wzy polymerase and sugar-modifying enzymes for spore coat polysaccharide biosynthesis in Myxococcus xanthus. Mol Microbiol 2020; 113:1189-1208. [PMID: 32064693 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2020] [Revised: 02/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The rod-shaped cells of Myxococcus xanthus, a Gram-negative deltaproteobacterium, differentiate to environmentally resistant spores upon starvation or chemical stress. The environmental resistance depends on a spore coat polysaccharide that is synthesised by the ExoA-I proteins, some of which are part of a Wzx/Wzy-dependent pathway for polysaccharide synthesis and export; however, key components of this pathway have remained unidentified. Here, we identify and characterise two additional loci encoding proteins with homology to enzymes involved in polysaccharide synthesis and export, as well as sugar modification and show that six of the proteins encoded by these loci are essential for the formation of environmentally resistant spores. Our data support that MXAN_3260, renamed ExoM and MXAN_3026, renamed ExoJ, are the Wzx flippase and Wzy polymerase, respectively, responsible for translocation and polymerisation of the repeat unit of the spore coat polysaccharide. Moreover, we provide evidence that three glycosyltransferases (MXAN_3027/ExoK, MXAN_3262/ExoO and MXAN_3263/ExoP) and a polysaccharide deacetylase (MXAN_3259/ExoL) are important for formation of the intact spore coat, while ExoE is the polyisoprenyl-phosphate hexose-1-phosphate transferase responsible for initiating repeat unit synthesis, likely by transferring N-acetylgalactosamine-1-P to undecaprenyl-phosphate. Together, our data generate a more complete model of the Exo pathway for spore coat polysaccharide biosynthesis and export.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Pérez-Burgos
- Department of Ecophysiology, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | | | - Miguel A Valvano
- Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK
| | - Lotte Søgaard Andersen
- Department of Ecophysiology, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
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8
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Reid AJ, Scarbrough BA, Williams TC, Gates CE, Eade CR, Troutman JM. General Utilization of Fluorescent Polyisoprenoids with Sugar Selective Phosphoglycosyltransferases. Biochemistry 2020; 59:615-626. [PMID: 31876413 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.9b01026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The protective surfaces of bacteria are comprised of polysaccharides and are involved in host invasion and colonization, host immune system evasion, and antibacterial resistance. A major barrier to our fundamental understanding of these complex surface polysaccharides lies in the tremendous diversity in glycan composition among bacterial species. The polyisoprenoid bactoprenyl phosphate (or undecaprenyl phosphate) is an essential lipid carrier necessary for early stages of glycopolymer assembly. Because of the ubiquity of bactoprenyl phosphate in these critical processes, molecular probes appended to this lipid carrier simplify identification of enzymatic roles during polysaccharide bioassembly. A limited number of these probes exist in the literature or have been assessed with such pathways, and the limits of their use are not currently known. Herein, we devise an efficient method for producing fluorescently modified bactoprenyl probes. We further expand our previous efforts utilizing 2-nitrileaniline and additionally prepare nitrobenzoxadizol-tagged bactoprenyl phosphate for the first time. We then assess the enzyme promiscuity of these two probes utilizing four well-characterized initiating phosphoglycosyltransferases: CPS2E (Streptococcus pneumoniae), WbaP (Salmonella enterica), WecA (Escherichia coli), and WecP (Aeromonas hydrophilia). Both probes serve as substrates for these enzymes and could be readily used to investigate a wide range of bacterial glycoassembly pathways. Interestingly, we have also identified unique solubility requirements for the nitrobenzoxadizol moiety for efficient enzymatic utilization that was not observed for the 2-nitrileaniline.
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9
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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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10
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Mitachi K, Siricilla S, Yang D, Kong Y, Skorupinska-Tudek K, Swiezewska E, Franzblau SG, Kurosu M. Fluorescence-based assay for polyprenyl phosphate-GlcNAc-1-phosphate transferase (WecA) and identification of novel antimycobacterial WecA inhibitors. Anal Biochem 2016; 512:78-90. [PMID: 27530653 DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2016.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2016] [Revised: 07/18/2016] [Accepted: 08/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Polyprenyl phosphate-GlcNAc-1-phosphate transferase (WecA) is an essential enzyme for the growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and some other bacteria. Mtb WecA catalyzes the transformation from UDP-GlcNAc to decaprenyl-P-P-GlcNAc, the first membrane-anchored glycophospholipid that is responsible for the biosynthesis of mycolylarabinogalactan in Mtb. Inhibition of WecA will block the entire biosynthesis of essential cell wall components of Mtb in both replicating and non-replicating states, making this enzyme a target for development of novel drugs. Here, we report a fluorescence-based method for the assay of WecA using a modified UDP-GlcNAc, UDP-Glucosamine-C6-FITC (1), a membrane fraction prepared from an M. smegmatis strain, and the E. coli B21WecA. Under the optimized conditions, UDP-Glucosamine-C6-FITC (1) can be converted to the corresponding decaprenyl-P-P-Glucosamine-C6-FITC (3) in 61.5% yield. Decaprenyl-P-P-Glucosamine-C6-FITC is readily extracted with n-butanol and can be quantified by ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectrometry. Screening of the compound libraries designed for bacterial phosphotransferases resulted in the discovery of a selective WecA inhibitor, UT-01320 (12) that kills both replicating and non-replicating Mtb at low concentration. UT-01320 (12) also kills the intracellular Mtb in macrophages. We conclude that the WecA assay reported here is amenable to medium- and high-throughput screening, thus facilitating the discovery of novel WecA inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katsuhiko Mitachi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 881 Madison Avenue, Memphis, TN 38163-0001, United States
| | - Shajila Siricilla
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 881 Madison Avenue, Memphis, TN 38163-0001, United States
| | - Dong Yang
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Biochemistry, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 858 Madison Avenue, Memphis, TN 38163-0001, United Sates
| | - Ying Kong
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Biochemistry, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 858 Madison Avenue, Memphis, TN 38163-0001, United Sates
| | - Karolina Skorupinska-Tudek
- Department of Lipid Biochemistry, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Pawinskiego 5a, 02-106 Warszawa, Poland
| | - Ewa Swiezewska
- Department of Lipid Biochemistry, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Pawinskiego 5a, 02-106 Warszawa, Poland
| | - Scott G Franzblau
- Institute for Tuberculosis Research, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, 833 S. Wood Street, Chicago, IL 60612, United States
| | - Michio Kurosu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 881 Madison Avenue, Memphis, TN 38163-0001, United States.
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11
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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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12
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Polar Glycosylated and Lateral Non-Glycosylated Flagella from Aeromonas hydrophila Strain AH-1 (Serotype O11). Int J Mol Sci 2015; 16:28255-69. [PMID: 26633358 PMCID: PMC4691044 DOI: 10.3390/ijms161226097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2015] [Revised: 11/17/2015] [Accepted: 11/18/2015] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Polar and but not lateral flagellin proteins from Aeromonas hydrophila strain AH-1 (serotype O11) were found to be glycosylated. Top-down mass spectrometry studies of purified polar flagellins suggested the presence of a 403 Da glycan of mass. Bottom-up mass spectrometry studies showed the polar flagellin peptides to be modified with 403 Da glycans in O-linkage. The MS fragmentation pattern of this putative glycan was similar to that of pseudaminic acid derivative. Mutants lacking the biosynthesis of pseudaminic acid (pseB and pseI homologues) were unable to produce polar flagella but no changes were observed in lateral flagella by post-transcriptional regulation of the flagellin. Complementation was achieved by reintroduction of the wild-type pseB and pseI. We compared two pathogenic features (adhesion to eukaryotic cells and biofilm production) between the wild-type strain and two kinds of mutants: mutants lacking polar flagella glycosylation and lacking the O11-antigen lipopolysaccharide (LPS) but with unaltered polar flagella glycosylation. Results suggest that polar flagella glycosylation is extremely important for A. hydrophila AH-1 adhesion to Hep-2 cells and biofilm formation. In addition, we show the importance of the polar flagella glycosylation for immune stimulation of IL-8 production via toll-"like" receptor 5 (TLR5).
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13
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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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14
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Merino S, Wilhelms M, Tomás JM. Role of Aeromonas hydrophila flagella glycosylation in adhesion to Hep-2 cells, biofilm formation and immune stimulation. Int J Mol Sci 2014; 15:21935-46. [PMID: 25464381 PMCID: PMC4284686 DOI: 10.3390/ijms151221935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2014] [Revised: 11/13/2014] [Accepted: 11/21/2014] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract: Polar flagellin proteins from Aeromonas hydrophila strain AH-3 (serotype O34) were found to be O-glycosylated with a heterogeneous heptasaccharide glycan. Two mutants with altered (light and strong) polar flagella glycosylation still able to produce flagella were previously obtained, as well as mutants lacking the O34-antigen lipopolysaccharide (LPS) but with unaltered polar flagella glycosylation. We compared these mutants, altogether with the wild type strain, in different studies to conclude that polar flagella glycosylation is extremely important for A. hydrophila adhesion to Hep-2 cells and biofilm formation. Furthermore, the polar flagella glycosylation is an important factor for the immune stimulation of IL-8 production via toll receptor 5 (TLR5).
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Affiliation(s)
- Susana Merino
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Barcelona, Diagonal 643, 08071 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Markus Wilhelms
- 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.
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15
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Merino S, Fulton KM, Twine SM, Wilhelms M, Molero R, Tomás JM. Aeromonas hydrophila flagella glycosylation: involvement of a lipid carrier. PLoS One 2014; 9:e89630. [PMID: 24586923 PMCID: PMC3931799 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0089630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2013] [Accepted: 01/22/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Polar flagellin proteins from Aeromonas hydrophila strain AH-3 (serotype O34) were found to be O-glycosylated with a heterogeneous glycan. Mutants unable to produce WecP or Gne enzymes showed altered motility, and the study of their polar flagellin glycosylation showed that the patterns of glycosylation differed from that observed with wild type polar flagellin. This suggested the involvement of a lipid carrier in glycosylation. A gene coding for an enzyme linking sugar to a lipid carrier was identified in strain AH-3 (WecX) and subsequent mutation abolished completely motility, flagella production by EM, and flagellin glycosylation. This is the first report of a lipid carrier involved in flagella O-glycosylation. A molecular model has been proposed. The results obtained suggested that the N-acetylhexosamines are N-acetylgalactosamines and that the heptasaccharide is completely independent of the O34-antigen lipopolysaccharide. Furthermore, by comparing the mutants with differing degrees of polar flagellin glycosylation, we established their importance in A. hydrophila flagella formation and motility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susana Merino
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | | | - Markus Wilhelms
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Raquel Molero
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Juan M. Tomás
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- * E-mail:
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Abstract
Aeromonas species are inhabitants of aquatic environments and are able to cause disease in humans and fish among other animals. In aquaculture, they are responsible for the economically important diseases of furunculosis and motile Aeromonas septicaemia (MAS). Whereas gastroenteritis and wound infections are the major human diseases associated with the genus. As they inhabit and survive in diverse environments, aeromonads possess a wide range of colonisation factors. The motile species are able to swim in liquid environments through the action of a single polar flagellum, the flagellin subunits of which are glycosylated; although essential for function the biological role of glycan addition is yet to be determined. Approximately 60% of aeromonads possess a second lateral flagella system that is expressed in viscous environments for swarming over surfaces; both flagellar systems have been shown to be important in the initial colonisation of surfaces. Subsequently, other non-flagellar colonisation factors are employed; these can be both filamentous and non-filamentous. The aeromonads possess a number of fimbrial systems with the bundle-forming MSHA type IV pilus system, having a major role in human cell adherence. Furthermore, a series of outer-membrane proteins have also been implicated in the aeromonad adhesion process. A number of strains are also capable of cell invasion and that maybe linked with the more invasive diseases of bacteraemia or wound infections. These strains employ cell surface factors that allow the colonisation of these niches that protect them from the host's immune system such as S-layers, capsules or particular lipopolysaccharides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Lowry
- Department of Infection and Immunity, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Sabela Balboa
- Department of Infection and Immunity, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom; Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Jennifer L Parker
- Department of Infection and Immunity, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan G Shaw
- Department of Infection and Immunity, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom.
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Tomás JM. The main Aeromonas pathogenic factors. ISRN MICROBIOLOGY 2012; 2012:256261. [PMID: 23724321 PMCID: PMC3658858 DOI: 10.5402/2012/256261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 184] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2012] [Accepted: 07/19/2012] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The members of the Aeromonas genus are ubiquitous, water-borne bacteria. They have been isolated from marine waters, rivers, lakes, swamps, sediments, chlorine water, water distribution systems, drinking water and residual waters; different types of food, such as meat, fish, seafood, vegetables, and processed foods. Aeromonas strains are predominantly pathogenic to poikilothermic animals, and the mesophilic strains are emerging as important pathogens in humans, causing a variety of extraintestinal and systemic infections as well as gastrointestinal infections. The most commonly described disease caused by Aeromonas is the gastroenteritis; however, no adequate animal model is available to reproduce this illness caused by Aeromonas. The main pathogenic factors associated with Aeromonas are: surface polysaccharides (capsule, lipopolysaccharide, and glucan), S-layers, iron-binding systems, exotoxins and extracellular enzymes, secretion systems, fimbriae and other nonfilamentous adhesins, motility and flagella.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M Tomás
- Departamento Microbiología, Universidad de Barcelona, Diagonal 643, 08071 Barcelona, Spain
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18
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Furlong SE, Valvano MA. Characterization of the highly conserved VFMGD motif in a bacterial polyisoprenyl-phosphate N-acetylaminosugar-1-phosphate transferase. Protein Sci 2012; 21:1366-75. [PMID: 22811320 DOI: 10.1002/pro.2123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2012] [Revised: 06/09/2012] [Accepted: 07/05/2012] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Polyisoprenyl-phosphate N-acetylaminosugar-1-phosphate transferases (PNPTs) constitute a family of eukaryotic and prokaryotic membrane proteins that catalyze the transfer of a sugar-1-phosphate to a phosphoisoprenyl lipid carrier. All PNPT members share a highly conserved 213-Valine-Phenylalanine-Methionine-Glycine-Aspartic acid-217 (VFMGD) motif. Previous studies using the MraY protein suggested that the aspartic acid residue in this motif, D267, is a nucleophile for a proposed double-displacement mechanism involving the cleavage of the phosphoanhydride bond of the nucleoside. Here, we demonstrate that the corresponding residue in the E. coli WecA, D217, is not directly involved in catalysis, as its replacement by asparagine results in a more active enzyme. Kinetic data indicate that the D217N replacement leads to more than twofold increase in V(max) without significant change in the K(m) for the nucleoside sugar substrate. Furthermore, no differences in the binding of the reaction intermediate analog tunicamycin were found in D217N as well as in other replacement mutants at the same position. We also found that alanine substitutions in various residues of the VFMGD motif affect to various degrees the enzymatic activity of WecA in vivo and in vitro. Together, our data suggest that the highly conserved VFMGD motif defines a common region in PNPT proteins that contributes to the active site and is likely involved in the release of the reaction product.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Furlong
- Centre for Human Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5C1, Canada
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Merino S, Bouamama L, Knirel YA, Senchenkova SN, Regué M, Tomás JM. Aeromonas surface glucan attached through the O-antigen ligase represents a new way to obtain UDP-glucose. PLoS One 2012; 7:e35707. [PMID: 22563467 PMCID: PMC3341381 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0035707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2011] [Accepted: 03/20/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We previously reported that A. hydrophila GalU mutants were still able to produce UDP-glucose introduced as a glucose residue in their lipopolysaccharide core. In this study, we found the unique origin of this UDP-glucose from a branched α-glucan surface polysaccharide. This glucan, surface attached through the O-antigen ligase (WaaL), is common to the mesophilic Aeromonas strains tested. The Aeromonas glucan is produced by the action of the glycogen synthase (GlgA) and the UDP-Glc pyrophosphorylase (GlgC), the latter wrongly indicated as an ADP-Glc pyrophosphorylase in the Aeromonas genomes available. The Aeromonas glycogen synthase is able to react with UDP or ADP-glucose, which is not the case of E. coli glycogen synthase only reacting with ADP-glucose. The Aeromonas surface glucan has a role enhancing biofilm formation. Finally, for the first time to our knowledge, a clear preference on behalf of bacterial survival and pathogenesis is observed when choosing to produce one or other surface saccharide molecules to produce (lipopolysaccharide core or glucan).
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Affiliation(s)
- Susana Merino
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Barcelona, Diagonal, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Lamiaa Bouamama
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Barcelona, Diagonal, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Yuriy A. Knirel
- N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Sofya N. Senchenkova
- N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Miguel Regué
- Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología Sanitarias, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Juan M. Tomás
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Barcelona, Diagonal, Barcelona, Spain
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Functional characterization of UDP-glucose:undecaprenyl-phosphate glucose-1-phosphate transferases of Escherichia coli and Caulobacter crescentus. J Bacteriol 2012; 194:2646-57. [PMID: 22408159 DOI: 10.1128/jb.06052-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Escherichia coli K-12 WcaJ and the Caulobacter crescentus HfsE, PssY, and PssZ enzymes are predicted to initiate the synthesis of colanic acid (CA) capsule and holdfast polysaccharide, respectively. These proteins belong to a prokaryotic family of membrane enzymes that catalyze the formation of a phosphoanhydride bond joining a hexose-1-phosphate with undecaprenyl phosphate (Und-P). In this study, in vivo complementation assays of an E. coli K-12 wcaJ mutant demonstrated that WcaJ and PssY can complement CA synthesis. Furthermore, WcaJ can restore holdfast production in C. crescentus. In vitro transferase assays demonstrated that both WcaJ and PssY utilize UDP-glucose but not UDP-galactose. However, in a strain of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium deficient in the WbaP O antigen initiating galactosyltransferase, complementation with WcaJ or PssY resulted in O-antigen production. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) revealed the attachment of both CA and O-antigen molecules to lipid A-core oligosaccharide (OS). Therefore, while UDP-glucose is the preferred substrate of WcaJ and PssY, these enzymes can also utilize UDP-galactose. This unexpected feature of WcaJ and PssY may help to map specific residues responsible for the nucleotide diphosphate specificity of these or similar enzymes. Also, the reconstitution of O-antigen synthesis in Salmonella, CA capsule synthesis in E. coli, and holdfast synthesis provide biological assays of high sensitivity to examine the sugar-1-phosphate transferase specificity of heterologous proteins.
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Patel KB, Ciepichal E, Swiezewska E, Valvano MA. The C-terminal domain of the Salmonella enterica WbaP (UDP-galactose:Und-P galactose-1-phosphate transferase) is sufficient for catalytic activity and specificity for undecaprenyl monophosphate. Glycobiology 2011; 22:116-22. [PMID: 21856724 DOI: 10.1093/glycob/cwr114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Two families of membrane enzymes catalyze the initiation of the synthesis of O-antigen lipopolysaccharide. The Salmonella enterica Typhimurium WbaP is a prototypic member of one of these families. We report here the purification and biochemical characterization of the WbaP C-terminal (WbaP(CT)) domain harboring one putative transmembrane helix and a large cytoplasmic tail. An N-terminal thioredoxin fusion greatly improved solubility and stability of WbaP(CT) allowing us to obtain highly purified protein. We demonstrate that WbaP(CT) is sufficient to catalyze the in vitro transfer of galactose (Gal)-1-phosphate from uridine monophosphate (UDP)-Gal to the lipid carrier undecaprenyl monophosphate (Und-P). We optimized the in vitro assay to determine steady-state kinetic parameters with the substrates UDP-Gal and Und-P. Using various purified polyisoprenyl phosphates of increasing length and variable saturation of the isoprene units, we also demonstrate that the purified enzyme functions highly efficiently with Und-P, suggesting that the WbaP(CT) domain contains all the essential motifs to catalyze the synthesis of the Und-P-P-Gal molecule that primes the biosynthesis of bacterial surface glycans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kinnari B Patel
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Human Immunology, University of Western Ontario,London, ON, Canada N6A 5C1
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