Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Rebecca E. Moore, Steven D. Townsend, Jennifer A. Gaddy
Summary: Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a pathogen causing severe perinatal infections, but human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) have antimicrobial effects against GBS and can enhance antibiotic activity against this bacterium.
Article
Microbiology
Marlyd E. Mejia, Samantha Ottinger, Alison Vrbanac, Priyanka Babu, Jacob J. Zulk, David Moorshead, Lars Bode, Victor Nizet, Kathryn A. Patras
Summary: Human milk oligosaccharides have shown promising inhibitory activity against Group B Streptococcus (GBS) in the vaginal microbiota, reducing GBS burdens without significant impact on the vaginal microbiota composition.
Article
Microbiology
Marlyd E. Mejia, Samantha Ottinger, Alison Vrbanac, Priyanka Babu, Jacob J. Zulk, David Moorshead, Lars Bode, Victor Nizet, Kathryn A. Patras
Summary: HMOs extracted from breastmilk have been found to reduce GBS burdens in the vagina without major impacts on the vaginal microbiota. This discovery suggests that HMOs may be a promising alternative for treating GBS colonization.
Article
Microbiology
Mostafa Asadpoor, Georgia-Nefeli Ithakisiou, Jos P. M. van Putten, Roland J. Pieters, Gert Folkerts, Saskia Braber
Summary: AOS and COS affect the growth of GBS V and S. aureus wood 46, functioning as anti-biofilm agents. The combination of AOS and COS with different antibiotics may provide new opportunities to combat antimicrobial resistance.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Yuqi Dou, Yuanli Luo, Yan Xing, Hui Liu, Botian Chen, Liye Zhu, Defu Ma, Jing Zhu
Summary: This study explores the changes in the concentration of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) in breastfeeding mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and the differences compared to healthy mothers. Most HMOs showed decreasing levels over lactation, but some exceptions were observed. Lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT) was significantly higher in GDM mothers and correlated with infant's weight-for-age Z-score. Group differences were also found in certain HMOs during specific lactational periods. The role of these differently expressed HMOs in GDM needs further investigation.
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Chuncui Huang, Yue Lu, Lin Kong, Zhendong Guo, Keli Zhao, Zheng Xiang, Xinyue Ma, Huanyu Gao, Yongfang Liu, Zhongmin Gao, Lijuan Xu, Wengang Chai, Yan Li, Yao Zhao
Summary: Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are important for protecting infants from infections, especially for preterm infants. However, there is limited research on the specific differences in HMOs as a function of gestation time. In this study, we established an approach to analyze HMOs and found that the composition and relative abundance of HMOs changed with postpartum age, with significant differences in HMOs secreted at different postpartum times.
CARBOHYDRATE POLYMERS
(2023)
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lisa F. Stinson, Donna T. Geddes
Summary: Microbial metabolites are transmitted to infants via human milk, impacting early-life programming. The use of metabolomics is advocated to complement current milk microbiome research.
TRENDS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Wusun Li, Jingxuan Wang, Yingying Lin, Yixuan Li, Fazheng Ren, Huiyuan Guo
Summary: Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are structurally diverse sugars highly abundant in human milk, with beneficial functions on infants such as modulating gut microbiota and promoting brain development. While some HMOs have been demonstrated safe to be added into infant formula, their application is currently limited by insufficient availability, calling for further basic and clinical studies in this field.
TRENDS IN FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Pediatrics
Philipp Menzel, Mandy Vogel, Sean Austin, Norbert Sprenger, Nico Grafe, Cornelia Hilbert, Anne Jurkutat, Wieland Kiess, Aristea Binia
Summary: This study investigates the relationship between human milk oligosaccharides (HMO) and child growth, finding associations that extend beyond infancy and breastfeeding. The results highlight the importance of both maternal and infant parameters in understanding the underlying associations.
Article
Microbiology
Xiaolei Ren, Waqar Saleem, Robin Haes, Jiexiong Xie, Sebastiaan Theuns, Hans J. Nauwynck
Summary: This study found that VP8* protein of porcine rotavirus specifically binds to glycans with a β-lactose structure, and lactose can significantly reduce the infectivity of specific viral strains, thus playing a protective role in preventing infection in piglets.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Wenyuan Zhang, Jacques Vervoort, Jiancun Pan, Peng Gao, Huiquan Zhu, Xiaodan Wang, Yumeng Zhang, Baorong Chen, Ying Liu, Yuanyuan Li, Xiaoyang Pang, Shuwen Zhang, Shilong Jiang, Jing Lu, Jiaping Lyu
Summary: Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) play a vital role in the development of the infant's gut microbiome and immune function. This study measured 12 oligosaccharides in milk from Chinese donors and evaluated the impacts of various factors on the HMOs profiles. The results showed that the concentrations of 6 sialyllactose were the highest among the 12 oligosaccharides. HMOs concentrations varied depending on geographical location, environmental factors, maternal anthropometric factors, and dietary factors.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Dileep Sai Kumar Palur, Shannon R. Pressley, Shota Atsumi
Summary: Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are complex sugars in human milk that have various beneficial properties. The limited availability of HMOs has led to efforts in developing industrial-scale production platforms using microbial systems, particularly Escherichia coli. This review summarizes the progress in microbial production of HMOs, focusing on five approved HMOs for commercialization.
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Toby Mansell, Annalee Furst, Martin O'Hely, Melinda Chang, Anne-Louise Ponsonby, Peter Vuillermin, Mimi L. K. Tang, David Burgner, Richard Saffery, Lars Bode
Summary: The concentration of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) at 6 weeks postpartum is associated with infant anthropometry, particularly within the first 6 months. For secretor mothers, higher levels of 2'FL are associated with increased weight and length in infants, while higher levels of lacto-N-tetraose are associated with increased weight and length in nonsecretor mothers.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NUTRITION
(2023)
Review
Food Science & Technology
Elif Sakarya, Nazli Tunca Sanlier, Nevin Sanlier
Summary: The intestinal microbiota begins to form in the mother's womb and undergoes changes influenced by various factors. It plays a crucial role in immune system maturation and the prevention of diseases throughout different stages of life. Nutrition is a key factor in the development of the microbiota in infants after birth, with breast milk oligosaccharides playing a vital role. Breastfed infants have a higher number of Bifidobacterium species and lower diversity, which is considered protective. Dysbiosis in the microbiota can have adverse effects on health, but human milk oligosaccharides and short-chain fatty acids resulting from their digestion have protective effects. Another component, HM glycoproteins, also shape the gut microbiota. The aim of this study is to examine the impact of breast milk on microbiota development and present the findings from a literature review.
CRITICAL REVIEWS IN FOOD SCIENCE AND NUTRITION
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Angela Zhang, Lei Sun, Yuanyuan Bai, Hai Yu, John B. McArthur, Xi Chen, Shota Atsumi
Summary: The study established a strategy for producing LDFT from lactose and L-fucose in Escherichia coli, using two bacterial fucosyltransferases to drive sequential fucosylation of lactose and intermediate 2'-FL. By optimizing cellular pathways, enhancing substrate transporters expression and inducing genes in the biosynthetic pathway, complete conversion of lactose into LDFT was achieved, with promising applications of engineered microbial biosystems for the production of multi-fucosylated HMOs for biochemical studies.
METABOLIC ENGINEERING
(2021)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Sydney P. Thomas, Erce Denizer, Simone Zuffa, Brookie M. Best, Lars Bode, Christina D. Chambers, Pieter C. Dorrestein, George Y. Liu, Jeremiah D. Momper, Victor Nizet, Shirley M. Tsunoda, Adriana H. Tremoulet
Summary: Antibiotics are crucial for perinatal care, but they can harm the host gut microbiota. Current studies mainly focus on the effects of antibiotics on infants directly or through maternal use, with limited knowledge about the risks of antibiotics in human milk to infants.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Dushen Chen, Akhilesh. K. K. Srivastava, Justyna Dubrochowska, Lin Liu, Tiehai Li, Joseph. P. P. Hoffmann, Jay. K. K. Kolls, Geert-Jan Boons
Summary: There is a pressing need for new treatment options for carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae), a common cause of life-threatening infections. In this study, a synthetic glycoconjugate vaccine was developed using oligosaccharides derived from the lipopolysaccharide of K. pneumoniae. Mice immunized with this vaccine showed a strong antibody response against K. pneumoniae.
CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Elisabet Bjanes, Jiarong Zhou, Tariq Qayum, Nishta Krishnan, Raymond H. Zurich, Nitasha D. Menon, Alexandria Hoffman, Ronnie H. Fang, Liangfang Zhang, Victor Nizet
Summary: This study reports a vaccine platform that combines gold nanoparticles coated with immunogenic Acinetobacter baumannii outer membrane vesicles (Ab-OMVs). It induces high levels of IgG antibodies in rabbits, enhances neutrophil killing of A. baumannii, and provides passive protection against sepsis in mice. Active immunization with the Ab-NP vaccine in mice protects against sepsis and pneumonia, activates B cells and dendritic cells, improves neutrophil responses, and mitigates cytokine storm.
ADVANCED NANOBIOMED RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ilhan Tomris, Luca Unione, Linh Nguyen, Pouya Zaree, Kim M. Bouwman, Lin Liu, Zeshi Li, Jelle A. Fok, Maria Rios Carrasco, Roosmarijn van der Woude, Anne L. M. Kimpel, Mirte W. Linthorst, Sinan E. Kilavuzoglu, Enrico C. J. M. Verpalen, Tom G. Caniels, Rogier W. Sanders, Balthasar A. . Heesters, Roland J. Pieters, Jesu's Jimenez-Barbero, John S. Klassen, Geert-Jan Boons, Robert P. de Vries
Summary: SARS-CoV-2 viruses use ACE2 as a functional receptor through their spike protein. The NTD of SARS-CoV-2 beta variant strain is capable of binding to Vero E6 cells and has a specific preference for 9-O-acetylated structures, suggesting a potential dual-receptor functionality of the S1 domain.
ACS CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Joshua C. L. Maliepaard, J. Mirjam A. Damen, Geert-Jan P. H. Boons, Karli R. Reiding
Summary: Glycosylation is a vital protein modification on extracellular human proteins which is analyzed with mass spectrometry. In this study, a LC-MS/MS-based workflow was developed to determine glycopeptide isomer ratios. The method could quantify isomerism within mixtures and was independent from the peptide portion of the conjugate.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Gael M. Vos, Julia Weber, Igor R. Sweet, Kevin C. Hooijschuur, Javier Sastre Torano, Geert-Jan Boons
Summary: Protein O-glycosylation is a highly diverse type of post-translational modification. The release of glycans from glycoconjugates is a crucial step in the analysis of O-glycomes. Researchers have developed a robust workflow for the oxidative release of O-glycans using synthetic glycopeptides, which allows for the retention of unique amino acid information and labile modifications.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Ming Xia, Frank Vago, Ling Han, Pengwei Huang, Linh Nguyen, Geert-Jan Boons, John S. Klassen, Wen Jiang, Ming Tan
Summary: In this study, the aTSR domain of the CSP was characterized and found to bind to heparan sulfate glycans, making it an important functional domain and a potential vaccine target. Fusion of aTSR with norovirus VP1's S domain resulted in the formation of highly immunogenic nanoparticles that elicited specific antibodies. These findings suggest that the aTSR nanoparticle could be a promising vaccine candidate for preventing and treating malaria.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NANOMEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jerome Riedel, Gerard Meijer, Gert von Helden, Maike Lettow, Michael Gotze, Rebecca L. Miller, Geert-Jan Boons, Gergo Peter Szekeres, Kevin Pagel, Marko Grabarics
Summary: Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), known for their diverse structures and importance in physiological processes, have gained attention in biochemical and biomedical research. Cryogenic gas-phase infrared (IR) spectroscopy has shown promise in identifying structural motifs of shorter GAG chains. This study used mass-selected heparan sulfate (HS) ions to extract characteristic vibrational features and employed random forest (RF) classifiers to discriminate between GAG classes and sulfate positions. The combination of gas-phase cryogenic IR ion spectroscopy and machine learning achieved high prediction accuracy for HS tetra- and hexasaccharides, demonstrating its importance in improving GAG sequencing and analysis of biomolecules.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Renuka Kadirvelraj, Bhargavi M. Boruah, Shuo Wang, Digantkumar Chapla, Chin Huang, Annapoorani Ramiah, Kieran L. Hudson, Anthony R. Prudden, Geert-Jan Boons, Stephen G. Withers, Zachary A. Wood, Kelley W. Moremen
Summary: Mammalian cell surface and secreted glycoproteins exhibit diverse glycan structural diversity, including Lewis antigens synthesized by GT10 family. This study determined the crystal structures of human FUT9, an a1,3-fucosyltransferase, revealing substrate specificity determinants and providing a catalytic model. Comparisons with other GT10 fucosyltransferases and GT-B fold glycosyltransferases suggest modular evolution and specificity for Lewis antigen synthesis among mammalian GT10 fucosyltransferases.
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Angeles Canales, Javier Sastre, Jose M. Orduna, Cindy M. Spruit, Javier Perez-Castells, Gema Dominguez, Kim M. Bouwman, Roosmarijn van der Woude, Francisco Javier Canada, Corwin M. Nycholat, James C. Paulson, Geert-Jan Boons, Jesus Jimenez-Barbero, Robert P. de Vries
Summary: Influenza virus infection remains a threat to human health due to the drifting of viral hemagglutinins, which evade infection and vaccine-induced antibody responses. Recent H3N2 and pandemic H1 viruses specifically recognize glycan structures containing at least three N-acetyllactosamine units. This study characterizes the glycan specificity of H1 variants, including the one responsible for the 2009 pandemic outbreak, and investigates the preference for tri-LacNAc motifs in human-type receptor-adapted viruses using glycan arrays, tissue binding analyses, and nuclear magnetic resonance experiments.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Lifeng Sun, Pradeep Chopra, Ilhan Tomris, Roosmarijn van der Woude, Lin Liu, Robert P. de Vries, Geert-Jan Boons
Summary: The emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants and the dangers of long-covid necessitate the development of broadacting therapeutics that can reduce viral burden. SARS-CoV-2 employs heparan sulfate (HS) as an initial cellular attachment factor, and therefore, there is interest in developing heparin as a therapeutic for SARS-CoV-2. Its use is, however, complicated by structural heterogeneity and the risk of causing bleeding and thrombocytopenia.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
P. H. Erik Hamming, Nico J. Overeem, Kevin Diestelhorst, Tren Fiers, Malte Tieke, Gael M. Vos, Geert-Jan P. H. Boons, Erhard van der Vries, Stephan Block, Jurriaan Huskens
Summary: Influenza viruses use surface motility to find or create locations for cell entry and enhance cellular uptake. The motility is expected to depend on the receptor density, and surface gradients with varying receptor densities can mimic the local variations on the cell surface. By tracking individual virus particles over surfaces with receptor density gradients, researchers found that surface mobility and the probability of sticking are significantly dependent on receptor density. The findings provide insights into how the virus locates high-receptor density patches for cell entry. Overall, the study scores 8 out of 10.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Pradeep Chopra, Tejabhiram Yadavalli, Francesco Palmieri, Seino A. K. Jongkees, Luca Unione, Deepak Shukla, Geert-Jan Boons
Summary: Inhibition of human heparanase (Hpse) has been found to be a promising therapeutic strategy for preventing the spread of herpes simplex virus (HSV-1). The synthesis of hexa- and octasaccharide inhibitors of Hpse showed potent enzyme inhibition and the presence of 2-O-sulfation on iduronic acid was tolerated. These inhibitors not only blocked viral-induced shedding of cell-surface heparan sulfate (HS) but also inhibited cell migration and proliferation in corneal epithelial cells infected with HSV-1.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Gael M. Vos, Yunfei Wu, Roosmarijn van der Woude, Robert P. de Vries, Geert-Jan Boons
Summary: This paper introduces a chemo-enzymatic strategy for synthesizing poly-N-acetyl lactosamines (polyLacNAc) in a regioselective manner. The strategy involves enzymatic assembly of oligo-LacNAc chains and modification at specific positions using traceless blocking groups. The methodology allows for the synthesis of polyLacNAc chains with various topologies.
CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Biology
Sarah R. Rudd, Leticia Silva Miranda, Hannah R. Curtis, Yves Bigot, Mercedes Diaz-Mendoza, Robert Hice, Victor Nizet, Hyun-Woo Park, Gregor Blaha, Brian A. Federici, Dennis K. Bideshi
Summary: This paper introduces three important commercial bacterial insecticides derived from different subspecies of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), including their sources and uses. It also explores the unique features of Bt subspecies israelensis, such as the structure of the parasporal body (PB) and the multilaminar fibrous matrix (MFM), as well as the functions and structural similarities of two proteins, Bt152 and Bt075. Additionally, a novel molecular process for targeting Cry and Cyt proteins has been identified.