Project description:Sulforaphane is a naturally occurring, potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound, found in cruciferous plants such as broccoli. Recently there have been a large number of clinical trials assessing broccoli sprout extracts as sulforaphane-based therapies for conditions including fibrosis, cancer and preeclampsia. As sulforaphane is orally administered, there is also the potential for impact on the gut microbiome. Here, we have determined the effect of sulforaphane on the growth of 43 common human gastrointestinal bacterial commensals and pathogens, which represented the four main phyla found in the human gastrointestinal microbiome. The pathogenic Escherichia coli strain ECE2348/69 showed the most significant increases in growth in the presence of sulforaphane compared to control conditions. Proteomic analysis of this isolate showed that sulforaphane increased anaerobic respiration, whilst metabolomic profiling identified differentially produced metabolites involved in amino acid biosynthesis and known to decrease inflammation in human cells. Therefore, sulforaphane can increase growth of specific gastrointestinal bacterial isolates, correlating with increased production of anti-inflammatory metabolites, that may provide a novel mechanism for modulating inflammatory states in patients.
Project description:Protein glycosylation is increasingly recognized as a common protein modification across bacterial species. Within pathogenic members of the Neisseria genus O-linked protein glycosylation is associated with virulence yet the depth of the glycoproteome, or if glycosylation plays additional roles in Neisserial physiology are largely unknown. Recently it was identified that even closely related members of the Neisseria genus can possess O-Oligosaccharyltransferases, pglOs, that possess distinct targeting activities suggesting extensive glycoproteome diversity in terms of the substrates capable of being glycosylated across Neisserial species. Within this work we explore this concept using Field Asymmetric Waveform Ion Mobility Spectrometry (FAIMS) fractionation and Data-Independent Acquisition (DIA) to allow the characterization of differences in the glycoproteomes and proteomes within N. gonorrhoeae strains expressing differing pglO alleles. We demonstrate the utility of FAIMS to expand the known glycoproteome of N. gonorrhoeae enabling the characterization of the glycoproteomes of wild type N. gonorrhoeae MS11 as well as a recently reported panel of strains expressing different pglO allelic chimeras (15 PglO enzymes) with unique substrate targeting activities. Combining glycoproteomic insights with DIA proteomics we demonstrate that alterations within pglO alleles have widespread impacts on the proteome of N. gonorrhoeae. Examination of peptides known to be targeted by glycosylation using DIA analysis supports alterations in glycosylation occupancy independent of changes in protein levels and that the occupancy of glycosylation is generally low on most glycoproteins. Combined this work expands our understanding of the N. gonorrhoeae glycoproteome and the impact of glycosylation on bacterial species.
Project description:Polysialic acid (polySia) is a linear polymer of α2,8-linked sialic acid residues that is of fundamental biological interest due to its pivotal roles in the regulation of the nervous, immune, and reproductive systems in healthy human adults. PolySia is also dysregulated in several chronic diseases, including cancers and mental health disorders. However, the mechanisms underpinning polySia biology in health and disease remain largely unknown, in part due to the lack of tools with which to study the glycan. The polySia-specific hydrolase, endoneuraminidase NF (EndoN), and the catalytically inactive polySia lectin EndoNDM, have been extensively used for studying polySia. However, EndoN is heat stable and remains associated with cells after washing. When studying polySia in systems with multiple polysialylated species, the residual EndoN that cannot be removed confounds data interpretation. We developed a strategy for site-specific immobilization of EndoN and EndoNDM on streptavidin-coated magnetic or agarose beads. We showed that immobilizing EndoN improves enzyme usefulness by allowing for effective removal of the enzyme from samples, while retaining hydrolase activity. Additionally, immobilization of EndoNDM allowed for the enrichment of polysialylated proteins from complex mixtures for their identification via mass spectrometry. We identified QSOX2 as a novel polysialylated protein secreted from MCF-7 cells. This method of site-specific immobilization can be utilized for other enzymes and lectins to yield insight into glycobiology.
Project description:DPANN are a widespread and highly diverse group of archaea characterised by their small size, reduced genome, limited metabolic pathways, and symbiotic existence. DPANNs are predominantly obligate ectosymbionts that depend on their host for their survival and proliferation. Despite the recent expansion in this clade, the structural and molecular details of host recognition, host-DPANN intercellular communication, and host adaptation in response to DPANN attachment remain unknown. Here, we used electron cryotomography (cryo-ET) to reveal that the Candidatus Micrarchaeota” (ARM-1) interacts with its host through intercellular proteinaceous nanotubes. These tubes (~4.5 nm wide) originate in the host, extend all the way to the DPANN cytoplasm and act like tunnels for intercellular exchange. Combining cryo-ET and sub-tomogram averaging, we revealed the in situ architectures of host and DPANN S-layers and the structures of the nanotubes in their primed and extended states, providing mechanistic insights into substrate exchange. Additionally, we performed comparative proteomics and genomic analyses to identify host proteomic changes in response to the DPANN attachment. Our results showed striking alterations in host-proteome during symbiosis and upregulation/downregulation of key cellular pathways. Collectively, these results provided unprecedented insights into the structural basis of host-DPANN communication and deepen our understanding of the host ectosymbiotic relationships.
Project description:Levoglucosan is produced in the pyrolysis of cellulose and starch, including from bushfires or the burning of biofuels, and is deposited from the atmosphere across the surface of the earth. We describe two levoglucosan degrading Paenarthrobacter spp. (Paenarthrobacter nitrojuajacolis LG01 and Paenarthrobacter histidinolovorans LG02) that were isolated by metabolic enrichment on levoglucosan as sole carbon source. Genome sequencing and proteomics analysis revealed expression of a series of gene clusters encoding known levoglucosan degrading enzymes, levoglucosan dehydrogenase (LGDH, LgdA), 3-keto-levoglucosan b-eliminase (LgdB1) and glucose 3-dehydrogenase (LgdC), along with an ABC transporter cassette and associated solute binding protein. However, no homologues of 3-ketoglucose dehydratase (LgdB2) were evident. The expressed gene clusters contained a range of putative sugar phosphate isomerase/xylose isomerases with weak similarity to LgdB2. Sequence similarity network analysis of genome neighbors revealed that homologues of LgdA, LgdB1 and LgdC are generally conserved in a range of bacteria in the phyla Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria. One sugar phosphate isomerase/xylose isomerase cluster (LgdB3) was identified with limited distribution mutually exclusive with LgdB2. LgdB1, LgdB2 and LgdB3 adopt similar predicted 3D folds suggesting overlapping function in processing intermediates in LG metabolism. Our findings highlight the diversity within the LGDH pathway through which bacteria utilize levoglucosan as a nutrient source.