IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v15y2024i1d10.1038_s41467-024-45415-8.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Structure-function analysis of the cyclic β-1,2-glucan synthase from Agrobacterium tumefaciens

Author

Listed:
  • Jaroslaw Sedzicki

    (Biozentrum, University of Basel)

  • Dongchun Ni

    (IPHYS, SB, EPFL, and Department of Fundamental Microbiology, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne)

  • Frank Lehmann

    (Biozentrum, University of Basel)

  • Henning Stahlberg

    (IPHYS, SB, EPFL, and Department of Fundamental Microbiology, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne)

  • Christoph Dehio

    (Biozentrum, University of Basel)

Abstract

The synthesis of complex sugars is a key aspect of microbial biology. Cyclic β-1,2-glucan (CβG) is a circular polysaccharide critical for host interactions of many bacteria, including major pathogens of humans (Brucella) and plants (Agrobacterium). CβG is produced by the cyclic glucan synthase (Cgs), a multi-domain membrane protein. So far, its structure as well as the mechanism underlining the synthesis have not been clarified. Here we use cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and functional approaches to study Cgs from A. tumefaciens. We determine the structure of this complex protein machinery and clarify key aspects of CβG synthesis, revealing a distinct mechanism that uses a tyrosine-linked oligosaccharide intermediate in cycles of polymerization and processing of the glucan chain. Our research opens possibilities for combating pathogens that rely on polysaccharide virulence factors and may lead to synthetic biology approaches for producing complex cyclic sugars.

Suggested Citation

  • Jaroslaw Sedzicki & Dongchun Ni & Frank Lehmann & Henning Stahlberg & Christoph Dehio, 2024. "Structure-function analysis of the cyclic β-1,2-glucan synthase from Agrobacterium tumefaciens," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-45415-8
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45415-8
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-45415-8
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-024-45415-8?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Thomas Jank & Stephanie Eckerle & Marcus Steinemann & Christoph Trillhaase & Marianne Schimpl & Sebastian Wiese & Daan M. F. van Aalten & Wolfgang Driever & Klaus Aktories, 2015. "Tyrosine glycosylation of Rho by Yersinia toxin impairs blastomere cell behaviour in zebrafish embryos," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 6(1), pages 1-16, November.
    2. Laura Marr & Dipsikha Biswas & Leonard A. Daly & Christopher Browning & Sarah C. M. Vial & Daniel P. Maskell & Catherine Hudson & Jay A. Bertrand & John Pollard & Neil A. Ranson & Heena Khatter & Clai, 2022. "Mechanism of glycogen synthase inactivation and interaction with glycogenin," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-14, December.
    3. Jacob L. W. Morgan & Joanna Strumillo & Jochen Zimmer, 2013. "Crystallographic snapshot of cellulose synthesis and membrane translocation," Nature, Nature, vol. 493(7431), pages 181-186, January.
    4. Wei Chen & Peng Cao & Yuansheng Liu & Ailing Yu & Dong Wang & Lei Chen & Rajamanikandan Sundarraj & Zhiguang Yuchi & Yong Gong & Hans Merzendorfer & Qing Yang, 2022. "Structural basis for directional chitin biosynthesis," Nature, Nature, vol. 610(7931), pages 402-408, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Dan-Dan Chen & Zhao-Bin Wang & Le-Xuan Wang & Peng Zhao & Cai-Hong Yun & Lin Bai, 2023. "Structure, catalysis, chitin transport, and selective inhibition of chitin synthase," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-13, December.
    2. Shu-Chieh Chang & Mu-Rong Kao & Rebecka Karmakar Saldivar & Sara M. Díaz-Moreno & Xiaohui Xing & Valentina Furlanetto & Johannes Yayo & Christina Divne & Francisco Vilaplana & D. Wade Abbott & Yves S., 2023. "The Gram-positive bacterium Romboutsia ilealis harbors a polysaccharide synthase that can produce (1,3;1,4)-β-d-glucans," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-16, December.
    3. Preeti Verma & Ruoya Ho & Schuyler A. Chambers & Lynette Cegelski & Jochen Zimmer, 2024. "Insights into phosphoethanolamine cellulose synthesis and secretion across the Gram-negative cell envelope," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-17, December.
    4. Kyojiro N. Ikeda & Ilya Belevich & Luis Zelaya-Lainez & Lukas Orel & Josef Füssl & Jaromír Gumulec & Christian Hellmich & Eija Jokitalo & Florian Raible, 2024. "Dynamic microvilli sculpt bristles at nanometric scale," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-9, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-45415-8. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.