Escherichia coli O86 O-antigen biosynthetic gene cluster and stepwise enzymatic synthesis of human blood group B antigen tetrasaccharide.
Previous study showed that some Gram-negative bacteria possess human blood group activity. Among them, Escherichia coli O86 has high blood group B activity and weak blood group A activity. This is due to the cell surface O-antigen structure, which resembles that of human blood group B antigen. In this study, we sequenced the entire E. coli O86 antigen gene cluster and identified all the genes responsible for O-antigen biosynthesis by sequence comparative analysis. The blood group B-like antigen in E. coli O86 O-polysaccharide was synthesized by sequentially employing three glycosyltransferases identified in the gene cluster. More importantly, we identified a new bacterial glycosyltransferase (WbnI) equivalent to human blood group transferase B (GTB). The enzyme substrate specificity and stepwise enzymatic synthesis of blood group B-like antigen revealed that the biosynthetic pathway of B antigen is essentially the same in E. coli O86 as in humans. This new finding provides a model to study the specificity and structure relationship of blood group transferases and supports the hypothesis of anti-blood group antibody production by bacterial stimulation.
Yi
Wen
W
Department of Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA.
Shao
Jun
J
Zhu
Lizhi
L
Li
Mei
M
Singh
Mamata
M
Lu
Yuquan
Y
Lin
Steven
S
Li
Hanfen
H
Ryu
Kang
K
Shen
Jie
J
Guo
Hongjie
H
Yao
Qingjia
Q
Bush
C Allen
CA
Wang
Peng G
PG
D000017:ABO Blood-Group System / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D016695:Glycosyltransferases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D019081:O Antigens / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics
D000017:ABO Blood-Group System; D019081:O Antigens; D009844:Oligosaccharides; D016695:Glycosyltransferases