Molecular mechanisms of pilin glycosylation in Neisseria: a model system for protein glycosylation in bacteria.

奈瑟菌菌毛蛋白糖基化的分子机制：细菌蛋白糖基化的模型系统。脑膜炎奈瑟氏菌和淋病奈瑟氏菌是重要的人类病原体。细胞表面的结构，称为皮利，是已知的重要，使细菌坚持宿主细胞。遗传和结构研究已经确定，构成皮利的蛋白质亚基通过添加糖而被糖基化修饰。直到最近革兰氏阴性细菌蛋白质的糖基化被认为不会发生，但是我们最近对这些细菌的研究以及其他研究假单胞菌和弯曲杆菌的小组已经表明，这个过程可能是普遍的。在我们以前的研究中，我们已经鉴定并分析了细菌中参与皮利糖基化的许多基因，这些基因使糖结构已知。我们已经利用这些信息开发了糖基化系统的生物化学和生理学如何工作的模型。奈瑟氏球菌的糖基化具有良好的结构和许多已经鉴定的基因，是研究这一新的重要过程的最佳模型系统。在拟议的研究中，我们描述了计划测试我们的模型的实验，并揭示了这个过程的分子细节。这项研究可能会导致我们对这一过程的理解取得重大进展，并且在理解后，可能会在生物技术中得到未来的应用。

Molecular mechanisms of pilin glycosylation in Neisseria: a model system for protein glycosylation in bacteria. The disease causing bacteria Neisseria meningitidis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae are important human pathogens. Cell surface structures, called pili, are known to be important in allowing the bacteria to stick to host cells. Genetic and structural studies have identified that the protein subunits, which make up pili, are glycosylated - modified by the addition of sugars. Until recently glycosylation of Gram-negative bacterial proteins was not thought to occur, however our recent work with these bacteria, and other groups studying Pseudomonas and Campylobacter, have shown that this process may be widespread. In our previous studies, we have identified and analysed a number of genes involved in pili glycosylation, in bacteria, which make known sugar structures. We have used this information to developed models for how the biochemistry and physiology of the glycosylation system may work. With a well-established structure and many genes already identified, glycosylation in Neisseria represents the best available model system to study this novel and important process. In the proposed study we describe experiments planned to test our models and reveal the molecular detail of this process. This study could lead to major advances in our understanding of this process and, when understood, may have future applications in biotechnology.