Loss of o-linked protein glycosylation in burkholderia cenocepacia impairs biofilm formation and siderophore activity and alters transcriptional regulators

Abstract

O-linked protein glycosylation is a conserved feature of the Burkholderia genus. The addition of the trisaccharide Β-Gal-(1,3)-Α-GalNAc-(1,3)-Β-GalNAc to membrane exported proteins in Burkholderia cenocepacia is required for bacterial fitness and resistance to environmental stress. However, the underlying causes of the defects observed in the absence of glycosylation are unclear. Using proteomics, luciferase reporter assays, and DNA cross-linking, we demonstrate the loss of glycosylation leads to changes in transcriptional regulation of multiple proteins, including the repression of the master quorum CepR/I. These proteomic and transcriptional alterations lead to the abolition of biofilm for..