Article
Microbiology
Ashutosh K. Rai, Joseph F. Carr, David E. Bautista, Wei Wang, Angela M. Mitchell
Summary: Enterobacterial common antigen (ECA), a conserved polysaccharide in many pathogenic bacteria, plays a crucial role in maintaining the permeability barrier of the outer membrane (OM). The biosynthesis of one form of ECA, ECA(PG), is regulated by a novel pathway involving the inner membrane protein ElyC and the periplasmic form of ECA, ECA(CYC), potentially through feedback regulation based on ECA(CYC) levels. This pathway represents a potential target for antimicrobial discovery and manipulation of OM permeability.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tomasz K. Gozdziewicz, Anna Maciejewska, Alona Tsybulska, Czeslaw Lugowski, Jolanta Lukasiewicz
Summary: Enterobacterial common antigen (ECA) is a conserved antigen expressed by enterobacteria in different forms. This study used various techniques to purify, fractionate, and analyze the structure of ECA, revealing the complexity of ECA derived from LPS supernatants.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Colleen R. Eade, Timothy W. Wallen, Claire E. Gates, Cassidy L. Oliverio, Beth A. Scarbrough, Amanda J. Reid, Matthew A. Jorgenson, Kevin D. Young, Jerry M. Troutman
Summary: This study demonstrates the impact of enterobacterial common antigen (ECA) synthesis on the production of other polysaccharides by affecting the availability of shared substrates, notably the carrier molecule bactoprenyl phosphate (BP). By mutating genes associated with ECA production, researchers found that accumulated products in cells were identical to standards, and observed a decrease in BP levels with each mutant. This research provides direct biochemical evidence for the sequestration of BP upon genetic disruption of glycan biosynthesis pathways in bacteria, and offers methods for assessing ECA glycan and understanding the interdependence of bacterial polysaccharides.
ACS CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Jun Qiao, Xin Tan, Danyang Huang, Hedan Li, Zhen Wang, Hongyu Ren, Xiaoqing Hu, Xiaoyuan Wang
Summary: This study deleted 12 genes responsible for the biosynthesis of the enterobacterial common antigen in E. coli MG1655, resulting in the strain WQM021, which showed improved growth and production efficiency. Further deletion of 50 genes responsible for flagellar biosynthesis in WQM021 resulted in the strain WQM022, which exhibited enhanced growth and product synthesis. The results demonstrate that eliminating the enterobacterial common antigen and flagella can efficiently improve the productivity of E. coli, providing guidance for optimizing other industrial products and microorganisms.
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Kinsey N. N. Morris, Angela M. M. Mitchell
Summary: This article investigates the synthesis of ECA(PG) in the outer membrane of Enterobacterales and discovers that phosphatidylglycerol (PG) is the lipid donor for its synthesis. Understanding this process can lead to the development of molecules to increase outer membrane permeability, expanding the range of antibiotics available for treating Gram-negative infections.
JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Nicholas Maczuga, Elizabeth N. H. Tran, Jilong Qin, Renato Morona
Summary: Bacterial outer membrane polysaccharides, such as enterobacterial common antigen (ECA) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) O antigen (Oag), play crucial roles in bacterial activities. The biosynthesis of ECA and LPS Oag, as well as peptidoglycan (PG), are all interdependent on the availability of undecaprenyl phosphate (Und-P). This study demonstrates the effects of mutations in one polysaccharide pathway on other pathways, as well as on PG biosynthesis, highlighting the complexity and interdependence of the three cell wall biosynthetic pathways.
JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nicholas Maczuga, Elizabeth N. H. Tran, Renato Morona
Summary: This study presents a comprehensive investigation into the biochemistry of WecG. It redefines WecG as a peripherally associated membrane protein and identifies potential drug targets to inhibit WecG and ECA function.
MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Vishal A. Verma, Lan Wang, Sharada S. Labadie, Jun Liang, Benjamin D. Sellers, Jian Wang, Liting Dong, Qiuyue Wang, Shuang Zhang, Zhongya Xu, Yexia Zhang, Yanan Niu, Xinxin Wang, John Wai, Michael F. T. Koehler, Huiyong Hu, Mary Kate Alexander, Mireille Nishiyama, Anh Miu, Yiming Xu, Jodie Pang, Anand K. Katakam, Michael Reichelt, Cary D. Austin, Hoangdung Ho, Jian Payandeh, Christopher M. Koth
Summary: The dramatic increase in multi-drug resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections and the lack of new antibiotics pose a significant threat to human health. By studying the ABC transporter MsbA, we have developed compounds with low minimum inhibitory concentrations against wild-type pathogens.
JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Veronica Folliero, Marianna Santonastaso, Federica Dell'Annunziata, Pasquale De Franciscis, Giovanni Boccia, Nicola Colacurci, Anna De Filippis, Massimiliano Galdiero, Gianluigi Franci
Summary: E. coli OMVs affect human sperm function, reducing motility and causing DNA fragmentation, which may be a significant factor in reproductive tract infections leading to infertility.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Caroline Servais, Victoria Vassen, Audrey Verhaeghe, Nina Kuster, Elodie Carlier, Lea Phegnon, Aurelie Mayard, Nicolas Auberger, Stephane Vincent, Xavier De Bolle
Summary: This study identifies the main O-antigen ligase involved in smooth lipopolysaccharide synthesis in Brucella species, shedding light on the basic biology of this pathogen.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Laure David, Frederic Taieb, Marie Penary, Pierre-Jean Bordignon, Remi Planes, Salimata Bagayoko, Valerie Duplan-Eche, Etienne Meunier, Eric Oswald
Summary: This study revealed that OMVs carried by Escherichia coli inhibit autophagic flux and activate the non-canonical inflammasome pathway, exacerbating pathogenic properties of the infection.
Article
Microbiology
Taiki Chikada, Tomomi Kanai, Masafumi Hayashi, Taishi Kasai, Taku Oshima, Daisuke Shiomi
Summary: Gram-negative bacteria like Escherichia coli have an outer membrane with peptidoglycan that allows them to withstand turgor pressure. Wall-deficient cells, known as L-form cells, can grow well under anaerobic conditions and require a rigid outer membrane to survive, but not too rigid to prevent them from changing cell shape.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Mireia Cordero, Namiko Mitarai, Liselotte Jauffred
Summary: Using confocal laser-scanning microscopy, researchers observed the emergence of satellite colonies around Escherichia coli colonies embedded in semi-dense hydrogel in vitro. Knock-out mutants were used to test the role of extra-cellular structures in controlling this morphology. The density of the extra-cellular matrix was identified as a key factor in satellite formation. Mathematical modeling suggests that this strategy allows bacterial communities to spread faster in different environments.
Article
Microbiology
Nicholas T. Maczuga, Elizabeth N. H. Tran, Renato Morona
Summary: The Enterobacteriales have evolved a specialized outer membrane polysaccharide, ECA, which allows them to persist in various environments. This study focuses on the ECA polymerase WzyE and reveals its high peptide conservation across Enterobacteriales, as well as identifies functionally conserved residues crucial for its function. This work provides novel insight into Wzy proteins and proposes WzyE as an optimal model for investigating Wzy proteins and the Wzy-dependent pathway.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hannah C. Smith, Kerrie L. May, Marcin Grabowicz
Summary: The outer membrane (OM) is a defining feature in gram-negative bacteria and its assembly pathways are conserved across species. Lipoprotein trafficking is crucial for OM assembly and is mediated by the Lol pathway. However, some gram-negative species lack the LolB protein, raising the question of how lipoproteins are trafficked to the OM. In this study, the researchers demonstrate that LolA from C. vibrioides is able to complement the deletion of both LolA and LolB in E. coli, suggesting that LolA has both chaperone and insertion activities. This finding provides an explanation for why certain gram-negative species lack a dedicated LolB protein.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
