Two complementary α-fucosidases from Streptococcus pneumoniae promote complete degradation of host-derived carbohydrate antigens.

ABSTRACT: An important aspect of the interaction between the opportunistic bacterial pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae and its human host is its ability to harvest host glycans. The pneumococcus can degrade a variety of complex glycans, including N- and O-linked glycans, glycosaminoglycans, and carbohydrate antigens, an ability that is tightly linked to the virulence of S. pneumoniae Although S. pneumoniae is known to use a sophisticated enzyme machinery to attack the human glycome, how it copes with fucosylated glycans, which are primarily histo-blood group antigens, is largely unknown. Here, we identified two pneumococcal enzymes, SpGH29^C and SpGH95^C, that target α-(1→3/4) and α-(1→2) fucosidic linkages, respectively. X-ray cry

SUBMITTER: Hobbs JK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6709623 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature