Journal article

A common pathway for O-linked protein-glycosylation and synthesis of capsule in Acinetobacter baumannii

Robert G Lees-Miller, Jeremy A Iwashkiw, Nichollas E Scott, Andrea Seper, Evgeny Vinogradov, Stefan Schild, Mario F Feldman

MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY | WILEY | Published : 2013

Abstract

Multi-drug resistant strains of Acinetobacter baumannii are increasingly being isolated in hospitals worldwide. Among the virulence factors identified in this bacterium there is a general O-glycosylation system that appears to be important for biofilm formation and virulence, and the capsular polysaccharide, which is essential for resistance to complement killing. In this work, we identified a locus that is responsible for the synthesis of the O-pentasaccharide found on the glycoproteins. Besides the enzymes required for the assembly of the glycan, additional proteins typically involved in polymerization and transport of capsule were identified within or adjacently to the locus. Mutagenesis ..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Grants

Awarded by Austrian Science Fund (FWF)


Awarded by FWF


Funding Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants from the Alberta Glycomics Centre and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) to M. F. F. and by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) grants: P229686 and W901 (DK Molecular Enzymology) to A. S. and S. S. We thank S. D. Kohlwein and H. Wolinski for access to the microscope facility, which is supported in part by the FWF project F3005-B12 LIPOTOX. M. F. F. is an Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR) Scholar and a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) new investigator. J. A. I. is an Alberta Innovates Health Solutions (AIHS) scholar.