Helicobacter pylori lipopolysaccharide is synthesized via a novel pathway with an evolutionary connection to protein N-glycosylation.

ABSTRACT: Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a major component on the surface of Gram negative bacteria and is composed of lipid A-core and the O antigen polysaccharide. O polysaccharides of the gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori contain Lewis antigens, mimicking glycan structures produced by human cells. The interaction of Lewis antigens with human dendritic cells induces a modulation of the immune response, contributing to the H. pylori virulence. The amount and position of Lewis antigens in the LPS varies among H. pylori isolates, indicating an adaptation to the host. In contrast to most bacteria, the genes for H. pylori O antigen biosynthesis are spread throughout the chromosome, which likely contributed to the fact that the LPS assembly pathway remained uncharacterized. In this study, two enzymes ty

SUBMITTER: Hug I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2841628 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature