The pilin O-glycosylation pathway of pathogenic Neisseria is a general system that glycosylates AniA, an outer membrane nitrite reductase.
O-Glycosylation is emerging as a common posttranslational modification of surface exposed proteins in bacterial mucosal pathogens. In pathogenic Neisseria an O-glycosylation pathway modifies a single abundant protein, pilin, the subunit protein that forms pili. Here, we identify an additional outer membrane glycoprotein in pathogenic Neisseria, the nitrite reductase AniA, that is glycosylated in its C-terminal repeat region by the pilin glycosylation pathway. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a general O-glycosylation pathway in a prokaryote. We also show that AniA displays polymorphisms in residues that map to the surface of the protein. A frame-shift mutation abolishes AniA expression in 34% of Neisseria meningitidis strains surveyed, however, all Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains examined are predicted to express AniA, implying a crucial role for AniA in gonococcal biology.
Ku
S C
SC
School of Molecular and Microbial Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia.
Schulz
B L
BL
Power
P M
PM
Jennings
M P
MP
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006031:Glycosylation; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009344:Neisseria gonorrhoeae / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity; D009345:Neisseria meningitidis / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D009572:Nitrite Reductases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; C077531:aniA protein, Neisseria gonorrhoeae; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins; D009572:Nitrite Reductases