Davis, J.L., Norwood, J.S., Smith, R.E. et al. (9 more authors) (2025) Dissecting the enterococcal polysaccharide antigen (EPA) structure to explore innate immune evasion and phage specificity. Carbohydrate Polymers, 347. 122686. ISSN 0144-8617
Abstract
Streptococci, Lactococci and Enterococci all produce L-rhamnose-containing cell wall polysaccharides which define Lancefield serotypes and represent promising candidates for the design of glycoconjugate vaccines. The L-rhamnose containing Enterococcal Polysaccharide Antigen (EPA), produced by the opportunistic pathogen Enterococcus faecalis, plays a critical role in normal growth, division, biofilm formation, antimicrobial resistance, phage susceptibility, and innate immune evasion. Despite the critical role of this polymer in E. faecalis physiology and host-pathogen interactions, little information is available on its structure and biosynthesis. Here, using an NMR approach, we elucidate the structure of EPA and propose a model for biosynthesis. We report the structure of the EPA-peptidoglycan linkage unit and reveal an unprecedented complexity of the EPA rhamnose backbone and decoration subunits. Finally, we explore the impact of several EPA structural modifications on innate immune evasion and recognition by bacteriophages. This work represents a first step towards the functional characterisation of EPA and the rational design of therapeutic strategies against a group of important pathogens.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ). |
Keywords: | Enterococcal polysaccharide antigen; L-Rhamnose; Polysaccharide structure; Bacteriophages; Innate immune evasion |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health (Sheffield) > School of Clinical Dentistry (Sheffield) The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > School of Biosciences (Sheffield) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL BB/R000727/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 11 Sep 2024 15:26 |
Last Modified: | 11 Sep 2024 15:26 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier BV |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.carbpol.2024.122686 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:217034 |