Wzi Is an Outer Membrane Lectin that Underpins Group 1 Capsule Assembly in Escherichia coli

Bushell, S.R.; Mainprize, Iain L.; Wear, Martin A.; Lou, Haijun; Whitfield, Chris; Naismith, James H.

doi:10.1016/j.str.2013.03.010

Cited by 70 publications

(73 citation statements)

References 85 publications

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“…This locus is present in all capsular types of K. pneumoniae, and different wzi locus sequences are strongly associated with specific K antigens. The wzi gene encodes a surface protein involved in capsule attachment to the outer membrane, where the loss of this protein results in essentially acapsular bacteria (211,212). wzy, also known as orf4, is involved in the polymerization of capsular polysaccharides, while wza, wzc, orf5, and orf6 are involved in their surface assembly (202,213).…”

Section: Capsulementioning

confidence: 99%

Klebsiella pneumoniae: Going on the Offense with a Strong Defense

Paczosa

Mecsas

2016

Microbiol Mol Biol Rev

1,357

1,345

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SUMMARYKlebsiella pneumoniaecauses a wide range of infections, including pneumonias, urinary tract infections, bacteremias, and liver abscesses. Historically,K. pneumoniaehas caused serious infection primarily in immunocompromised individuals, but the recent emergence and spread of hypervirulent strains have broadened the number of people susceptible to infections to include those who are healthy and immunosufficient. Furthermore,K. pneumoniaestrains have become increasingly resistant to antibiotics, rendering infection by these strains very challenging to treat. The emergence of hypervirulent and antibiotic-resistant strains has driven a number of recent studies. Work has described the worldwide spread of one drug-resistant strain and a host defense axis, interleukin-17 (IL-17), that is important for controlling infection. Four factors, capsule, lipopolysaccharide, fimbriae, and siderophores, have been well studied and are important for virulence in at least one infection model. Several other factors have been less well characterized but are also important in at least one infection model. However, there is a significant amount of heterogeneity inK. pneumoniaestrains, and not every factor plays the same critical role in all virulentKlebsiellastrains. Recent studies have identified additionalK. pneumoniaevirulence factors and led to more insights about factors important for the growth of this pathogen at a variety of tissue sites. Many of these genes encode proteins that function in metabolism and the regulation of transcription. However, much work is left to be done in characterizing these newly discovered factors, understanding how infections differ between healthy and immunocompromised patients, and identifying attractive bacterial or host targets for treating these infections.

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Section: Capsulementioning

confidence: 99%

Klebsiella pneumoniae: Going on the Offense with a Strong Defense

Paczosa

Mecsas

2016

Microbiol Mol Biol Rev

1,357

1,345

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“…Wza, a member of the OPX (outer membrane export) family, further modulates transport across the outer membrane (OM). The Wzi protein is a lectin in the outer membrane, which interacts directly with CPS and facilitates capsule formation (110,123,124,166,344). Abbreviations: Man, mannose; PG, peptidoglycan.…”

Section: Fig 5 Eps and Cps Biosynthesis Pathways (A)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Wzi is a lectin, which interacts directly with the CPS structure and assists in the formation of the capsule (62,64,124) (Fig. 5A).…”

Section: Fig 5 Eps and Cps Biosynthesis Pathways (A)mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Sweet Tooth of Bacteria: Common Themes in Bacterial Glycoconjugates

Tytgat

Lebeer

2014

Microbiol Mol Biol Rev

129

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SUMMARY Humans have been increasingly recognized as being superorganisms, living in close contact with a microbiota on all their mucosal surfaces. However, most studies on the human microbiota have focused on gaining comprehensive insights into the composition of the microbiota under different health conditions (e.g., enterotypes), while there is also a need for detailed knowledge of the different molecules that mediate interactions with the host. Glycoconjugates are an interesting class of molecules for detailed studies, as they form a strain-specific barcode on the surface of bacteria, mediating specific interactions with the host. Strikingly, most glycoconjugates are synthesized by similar biosynthesis mechanisms. Bacteria can produce their major glycoconjugates by using a sequential or an en bloc mechanism, with both mechanistic options coexisting in many species for different macromolecules. In this review, these common themes are conceptualized and illustrated for all major classes of known bacterial glycoconjugates, with a special focus on the rather recently emergent field of glycosylated proteins. We describe the biosynthesis and importance of glycoconjugates in both pathogenic and beneficial bacteria and in both Gram-positive and -negative organisms. The focus lies on microorganisms important for human physiology. In addition, the potential for a better knowledge of bacterial glycoconjugates in the emerging field of glycoengineering and other perspectives is discussed.

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“…The cps locus has a mosaic structure, with a group of six conserved genes (galF, orf2, wzi, wza, wzb, and wzc) at its 5= end. Among these, the wzi gene codes for the outer membrane protein Wzi, which is involved in attachment of the capsular polysaccharide to the outer membrane (27,28). The objective of this study was to evaluate the sequence polymorphisms of the wzi gene for strain typing and for inference of the serotypes of K. pneumoniae clinical isolates.…”

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confidence: 99%

wzi Gene Sequencing, a Rapid Method for Determination of Capsular Type for Klebsiella Strains

et al. 2013

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f Pathogens of the genus Klebsiella have been classified into distinct capsular (K) types for nearly a century. K typing of Klebsiella species still has important applications in epidemiology and clinical microbiology, but the serological method has strong practical limitations. Our objective was to evaluate the sequencing of wzi, a gene conserved in all capsular types of Klebsiella pneumoniae that codes for an outer membrane protein involved in capsule attachment to the cell surface, as a simple and rapid method for the prediction of K type. The sequencing of a 447-nucleotide region of wzi distinguished the K-type reference strains with only nine exceptions. A reference wzi sequence database was created by the inclusion of multiple strains representing K types associated with high virulence and multidrug resistance. A collection of 119 prospective clinical isolates of K. pneumoniae were then analyzed in parallel by wzi sequencing and classical K typing. Whereas K typing achieved typeability for 81% and discrimination for 94.4% of the isolates, these figures were 98.1% and 98.3%, respectively, for wzi sequencing. The prediction of K type once the wzi allele was known was 94%. wzi sequencing is a rapid and simple method for the determination of the K types of most K. pneumoniae clinical isolates.

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Wzi Is an Outer Membrane Lectin that Underpins Group 1 Capsule Assembly in Escherichia coli

Cited by 70 publications

References 85 publications

Klebsiella pneumoniae: Going on the Offense with a Strong Defense

Klebsiella pneumoniae: Going on the Offense with a Strong Defense

The Sweet Tooth of Bacteria: Common Themes in Bacterial Glycoconjugates

wzi Gene Sequencing, a Rapid Method for Determination of Capsular Type for Klebsiella Strains

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