title: Synthesis of the heteropolysaccharide O antigen of Escherichia coli O52 requires an ABC transporter: structural and genetic evidence.
abstract: The structural and genetic organization of the Escherichia coli O52 O antigen was studied. As identified by sugar and methylation analysis and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, the O antigen of E. coli O52 has a partially O-acetylated disaccharide repeating unit (O unit) containing D-fucofuranose and 6-deoxy-D-manno-heptopyranose, as well as a minor 6-deoxy-3-O-methylhexose (most likely, 3-O-methylfucose). The O-antigen gene cluster of E. coli O52, which is located between the galF and gnd genes, was found to contain putative genes for the synthesis of the O-antigen constituents, sugar transferase genes, and ABC-2 transporter genes. Further analysis confirmed that O52 employs an ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter-dependent pathway for translocation and polymerization of the O unit. This is the first report of an ABC transporter being involved in translocation of a heteropolysaccharide O antigen in E. coli. Genes specific for E. coli O52 were also identified.
authors.affiliation: TEDA School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, Tianjin Biochip Technology Corporation, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Sof'ya N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Senchenkova
authors.forename: Jinghua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Alexander S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Shashkov
authors.forename: Jiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.forename: Hongjie
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Jiansong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: Yuriy A
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Knirel
authors.forename: Peter R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Reeves
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D001482:Base Composition; D002241:Carbohydrates / Q000032:analysis; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003837:Deoxy Sugars / Q000032:analysis; D004187:Disaccharides / Q000032:analysis; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D005643:Fucose / Q000032:analysis; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008745:Methylation; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D019081:O Antigens / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017385:Sequence Homology; D014166:Transferases / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters; D002241:Carbohydrates; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D003837:Deoxy Sugars; D004187:Disaccharides; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D019081:O Antigens; D005643:Fucose; C074750:6-deoxy-manno-heptopyranose; D014166:Transferases