Detection of N-glycolyl-neuraminic acid-containing glycolipids in human skin.

Humans lack the enzyme that produces the sialic acid N-glycolyl neuraminic acid (Neu5Gc), but several lines of evidence have shown that Neu5Gc can be taken up by mammalian food sources and replace the common human sialic acid N-acetyl neuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) in glycans. Cancer tissue has been shown to have increased the presence of Neu5Gc and Neu5Gc-containing glycolipids such as the ganglioside GM3, which have been proposed as tumor-specific antigens for antibody treatment. Here, we show that a previously described antibody against Neu5Gc-GM3 is binding to Neu5GC-containing gangliosides and is strongly staining different cancer tissues.

Identification of a second glycoform of the clinically prevalent O1 antigen from .

Carbapenemase and extended β-lactamase-producing isolates represent a major health threat, stimulating increasing interest in immunotherapeutic approaches for combating infections. Lipopolysaccharide O antigen polysaccharides offer viable targets for immunotherapeutic development, and several studies have described protection with O-specific antibodies in animal models of infection. O1 antigen is produced by almost half of clinical isolates.

Molecular basis for the structural diversity in serogroup O2-antigen polysaccharides in .

is a major health threat. Vaccination and passive immunization are considered as alternative therapeutic strategies for managing infections. Lipopolysaccharide O antigens are attractive candidates because of the relatively small range of known O-antigen polysaccharide structures, but immunotherapeutic applications require a complete understanding of the structures found in clinical settings.

Genetic and structural elucidation of capsular polysaccharides from Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 23A and 23B, and comparison to serotype 23F.

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a globally important encapsulated human pathogen with approximately 100 different serotypes recognized. Serogroup 23 consists of serotype 23F, present in licensed vaccines, and emerging serotypes 23A and 23B. Here, we report the previously unknown structures of the pneumococcal capsular polysaccharides serotype 23A and 23B determined using genetic analysis, NMR spectroscopy, composition and linkage analysis and Smith degradation (of polysaccharide 23A).

The diversity of surface polysaccharides.

is considered an urgent health concern due to the emergence of multi-drug-resistant strains for which vaccination offers a potential remedy. Vaccines based on surface polysaccharides are highly promising but need to address the high diversity of surface-exposed polysaccharides, synthesized as O-antigens (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) and K-antigens (capsule polysaccharide, CPS), present in . We present a comprehensive and clinically relevant study of the diversity of O- and K-antigen biosynthesis gene clusters across a global collection of over 500 whole-genome sequences and the seroepidemiology of human isolates from different infection types.

Identification of capsule synthesis loci from whole genome data.

is a growing cause of healthcare-associated infections for which multi-drug resistance is a concern. Its polysaccharide capsule is a major virulence determinant and epidemiological marker. However, little is known about capsule epidemiology since serological typing is not widely accessible and many isolates are serologically non-typeable.

Iron Modulates Butyrate Production by a Child Gut Microbiota In Vitro.

Unlabelled: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of iron (Fe) availability on butyrate production in the complex bacterial ecosystem of the human gut. Hence, different Fe availabilities were mimicked in an in vitro colonic fermentation model (the polyfermenter intestinal model called PolyFermS) inoculated with immobilized gut microbiota from a child and in batch cultures of the butyrate producer Roseburia intestinalis. Shifts in the microbial community (16S rRNA sequencing and quantitative PCR), metabolic activity (high-performance liquid chromatography), and expression of genes involved in butyrate production were assessed.

Complete Genome Sequence of the Probiotic Bifidobacterium thermophilum Strain RBL67.

Bifidobacterium thermophilum RBL67, an isolate from infant feces, exhibits bacteriocin-like antimicrobial activity against Listeria spp. and Salmonella spp. and protects HT29-MTX cells against Salmonella infection.

Comparative genome analysis of Streptococcus infantarius subsp. infantarius CJ18, an African fermented camel milk isolate with adaptations to dairy environment.

Background: Streptococcus infantarius subsp. infantarius (Sii) belongs to the Streptococcus bovis/Streptococcus equinus complex associated with several human and animal infections. Sii is a predominant bacterium in spontaneously fermented milk products in Africa.

Metabolism of oligosaccharides and starch in lactobacilli: a review.

Oligosaccharides, compounds that are composed of 2-10 monosaccharide residues, are major carbohydrate sources in habitats populated by lactobacilli. Moreover, oligosaccharide metabolism is essential for ecological fitness of lactobacilli. Disaccharide metabolism by lactobacilli is well understood; however, few data on the metabolism of higher oligosaccharides are available.

Reactive oxygen species-inducible ECF σ factors of Bradyrhizobium japonicum.

Extracytoplasmic function (ECF) σ factors control the transcription of genes involved in different cellular functions, such as stress responses, metal homeostasis, virulence-related traits, and cell envelope structure. The genome of Bradyrhizobium japonicum, the nitrogen-fixing soybean endosymbiont, encodes 17 putative ECF σ factors belonging to nine different ECF σ factor families. The genes for two of them, ecfQ (bll1028) and ecfF (blr3038), are highly induced in response to the reactive oxygen species hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) and singlet oxygen ((1)O(2)).

Complete genome sequence of the African dairy isolate Streptococcus infantarius subsp. infantarius strain CJ18.

Streptococcus infantarius subsp. infantarius, a member of the Streptococcus bovis/Streptococcus equinus complex, is highly prevalent in artisanal dairy fermentations in Africa. Here the complete genome sequence of the dairy-adapted S.