Research Topic Bacterial Glycoinfrastructure – The bacterial cell surface and the biofilm matrix of (poly)microbial communities are the first contact zones of a microbe with the immediate environment and the host. We aim to discover and characterize novel bacterial glycans, glycoconjugates and carbohydrate-active enzymes as well as biofilm matrix components, under-stand how they are biosynthesized, self-assemble into functional entities, and which functions they serve. This includes method development for compound isolation and analysis, enzymatic assays, and genetic manipulation.
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Structure of the T. forsythia O-glycan. A terminal nonulosonic acid is used by the bacterium for molecular mimicry to evade host immune recognition. © Schäffer Research Group, BOKU Vienna.
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An intensely studied bacterium in our lab is the oral biofilm pathogen Tannerella forsythia, whose unique protein O-glycosylation underpins virulence. The glycan contains a terminal nonulosonic acid which is used to evade immune recognition by molecular mimicry. The bacterium also employs outer membrane vesicles containing glycoprotein cargo as a biological warfare agent.
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Transmission electron micrograph of a nascent outer membrane vesicle (arrow) of T. forsythia. S, S-layer; OM, outer membrane; CM, cytoplasmic membrane. © Valentin Friedrich, Schäffer Research Group, BOKU Vienna.