Characterization and statistical modeling of glycosylation changes in sickle cell disease.

Sickle cell disease is an inherited genetic disorder that causes anemia, pain crises, organ infarction, and infections in 13 million people worldwide. Previous studies have revealed changes in sialic acid levels associated with red blood cell sickling and showed that stressed red blood cells bare surface-exposed clustered terminal mannose structures mediating hemolysis, but detailed glycan structures and anti-glycan antibodies in sickle cell disease remain understudied. Here, we compiled results obtained through lectin arrays, glycan arrays, and mass spectrometry to interrogate red blood cell glycoproteins and glycan-binding proteins found in the plasma of healthy individuals and patients with sickle cell disease and sickle cell trait.

Predictive modeling of complex ABO glycan phenotypes by lectin microarrays.

Serological classification of individuals as A, B, O, or AB is a mainstay of blood banking. ABO blood groups or ABH antigens, in addition to other surface glycans, act as unique red blood cell (RBC) signatures and direct immune responses. ABO subgroups present as weakened, mixed field, or unexpected reactivity with serological reagents, but specific designations remain complex.

Regulation of the aceI multidrug efflux pump gene in Acinetobacter baumannii.

Objectives: To investigate the function of AceR, a putative transcriptional regulator of the chlorhexidine efflux pump gene aceI in Acinetobacter baumannii.

Methods: Chlorhexidine susceptibility and chlorhexidine induction of aceI gene expression were determined by MIC and quantitative real-time PCR, respectively, in A. baumannii WT and ΔaceR mutant strains.

Crystal structure of a UDP-GlcNAc epimerase for surface polysaccharide biosynthesis in Acinetobacter baumannii.

With new strains of Acinetobacter baumannii undergoing genomic analysis, it has been possible to define regions of genomic plasticity (RGPs), encoding specific adaptive elements. For a selected RGP from a community-derived isolate of A. baumannii, we outline sequences compatible with biosynthetic machinery of surface polysaccharides, specifically enzymes utilized in the dehydration and conversion of UDP-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (UDP-D-GlcNAc).