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UID:d0468e78a5e70e6d30c22fdc3b757554
DTSTAMP:20260711T225035Z
SUMMARY:‘Sweet appearances: the bacterial sugar coat in host-pathogen int
 eraction’
DESCRIPTION:Bacteria produce many glycosylated structures and polysaccharid
 es\, including polysaccharide capsule\, teichoic acids\, and N- and O-link
 ed glycosylated proteins. The ease of whole genome sequencing has accelera
 ted identification of the involved biosynthesis genes\, but experimental d
 ata to support a gene-structure relationship is often lacking. By a combin
 ation of bacterial mutagenesis\, glycoanalysis\, bacteriological and immun
 ological in vitro assays and animal infection studies\, we aim to elucidat
 e the role of surface glycans in bacterial infectious diseases.\nOur lab f
 ocuses on infections caused by two important human pathogens\, Staphyloco
 ccus aureus and Group A Streptococcus (GAS). Both species are common ha
 rmless commensals of the skin and naso/pharynx but can also cause life-thr
 eatening infections1\,2. The composition of the cell wall of S. aureus a
 nd GAS is rich in glycans\, but their function has remained mostly unchara
 cterized. For GAS\, the dominant cell wall structure consists of the Group
  A carbohydrate (GAC) or Lancefield antigen\, which comprises approximatel
 y 50% of the cell wall by weight3. In addition to an essential structural 
 role in the cell wall4\, we have demonstrated that the specific N-acetylg
 lucosamine (GlcNAc) epitope of the GAC contributes to pathogenesis5. Simil
 arly\, S. aureus expresses several glycosylated structures including Glc
 NAcylated wall teichoic acid (WTA) 6 and also glycosylated proteins7 th
 at contribute to nasal colonization and systemic infection6\,8-10. The mol
 ecular mechanism for these virulence-enhancing mechanisms has not been ful
 ly elucidated\, but insight could open new pathways for selective anti-vir
 ulence strategies or vaccine targets to combat these deadly infections.\nC
 onsidering the dominant presence in the cell wall and location at the host
 -pathogen interface\, we hypothesize that bacterial surface glycans suppor
 t bacterial survival in the host by either protecting from immune killing 
 or aiding immune evasion. To this end\, we work on the following topics:\n
 \nElucidate the biosynthesis pathway of the streptococcal GAC4\;\nStudy th
 e interaction of glycosylated surface structures with the human immune sys
 tems at the molecular level focusing on immune modulation through (C-type)
  lectin receptors\;\nInvestigate application of streptococcal carbohydrate
 s as vaccine antigens.\n
URL:https://www.imperial.ac.uk/events/133595/sweet-appearances-the-bacteria
 l-sugar-coat-in-host-pathogen-interaction/
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20211122T110000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20211122T120000
LOCATION:United Kingdom
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