Pseudomonas aeruginosa pyocyanin modulates mucin glycosylation with sialyl-Lewis(x) to increase binding to airway epithelial cells.

ABSTRACT: Cystic fibrosis (CF) patients battle life-long pulmonary infections with the respiratory pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA). An overabundance of mucus in CF airways provides a favorable niche for PA growth. When compared with that of non-CF individuals, mucus of CF airways is enriched in sialyl-Lewis(x), a preferred binding receptor for PA. Notably, the levels of sialyl-Lewis(x) directly correlate with infection severity in CF patients. However, the mechanism by which PA causes increased sialylation remains uncharacterized. In this study, we examined the ability of PA virulence factors to modulate sialyl-Lewis(x) modification in airway mucins. We found pyocyanin (PCN) to be a potent inducer of sialyl-Lewis(x) in both mouse airways and in primary and immortalized CF and non-CF human airwa

SUBMITTER: Jeffries JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4864173 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature