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. Currently, the precise number of O antigens is unknown because available serological tests have limited resolution, and their association with defined chemical structures is sometimes uncertain. Molecular serotyping methods can evaluate clinical prevalence of O serotypes but require a full understanding of the genetic determinants for each O-antigen structure. This is problematic with because genes outside the main (O-antigen biosynthesis) locus can have profound effects on the final structure. Here, we report two new loci encoding enzymes that modify a conserved polysaccharide backbone comprising disaccharide repeat units [→3)-α-d-Gal-(1→3)-β-d-Gal-(1→] (O2a antigen). We identified in serotype O2aeh a three-component system that modifies completed O2a glycan in the periplasm by adding 1,2-linked α-Gal side-group residues. In serotype O2ac, a polysaccharide comprising disaccharide repeat units [→5)-β-d-Gal-(1→3)-β-d-GlcNAc-(1→] (O2c antigen) is attached to the non-reducing termini of O2a-antigen chains. O2c-polysaccharide synthesis is dependent on a locus encoding three glycosyltransferase enzymes. The authentic O2aeh and O2c antigens were recapitulated in recombinant hosts to establish the essential gene set for their synthesis. These findings now provide a complete understanding of the molecular genetic basis for the known variations in O-antigen carbohydrate structures based on the O2a backbone.