Microbial Glycobiology Structures, Relevance and Applications

This book presents in an easy-to-read format a summary of the important central aspects of microbial glycobiology, i.e. the study of carbohydrates as related to the biology of microorganisms. Microbial glycobiology represents a multidisciplinary and emerging area with implications for a range of basic and applied research fields, as well as having industrial, medical and biotechnological implications.

Part I. Microbial glycolipids, glyoproteins and glycopolymers1. Overview of the glycosylated components of the bacterial cell wall2. Bacterial cell wall envelope peptidoglycan3. Core oligosaccharide and lipid A components of lipopolysaccharides4. O-Specific polysaccharides of Gram-negative bacteria5. Teichoic acids, lipoteichoic acids, and related cell wall glycopolymers of Gram-positive bacteria6. Bacterial capsular polysaccharides and exopolysaccharides7. Bacterial surface layer glycoproteins and “non-classical” secondary cell wall polymers8. Glycosylation of bacterial and archaeal flagellins9. Glycosylated components of the mycobacterial cell wall: structure and function10. Glycoconjugate structure and function in fungal cell walls11. Cytoplasmic carbohydrate molecules: trehalose and glycogen12. Glycosylated compounds of parasitic protozoa13. Analytical approaches towards the structural characterization of microbial wall glycopolymers14. Single-molecule characterization of microbial polysaccharides15. Viral surface glycoproteins in carbohydrate recognition: structure and modelingPart II. Synthesis of microbial glycosylated components; A. Biosynthesis and biosynthetic processes16. Biosynthesis of bacterial peptidoglycan17. Biosynthesis and membrane assembly of lipid A18. Biosynthesis of O-antigen chains and assembly19. Biosynthesis of cell wall teichoic acid polymers20. Biosynthesis and assembly of capsular polysaccharides21. Biosynthesis of the mycobacterial cell envelope components22. Biosynthesis of fungal and yeast glycans B. Chemical synthesis23. Chemical synthesis of bacterial lipid A24. Chemical synthesis of the core oligosaccharide of bacterial lipopolysaccharide25. Chemical synthesis of lipoichoic acid and derivatives26. Chemical synthesis of parasitic glycoconjugates and phosphoglycansPart III. Microbe-host glycosylated interactions27. Bacterial lectin-like interactions in cell recognition and adhesion28. Lectin-like interactions in virus-cell recognition: human immunodeficiency virus and C-type lectin interactions29. Sialic acid-specific microbial lectins30. Bacterial toxins and their carbohydrate receptors at the host-pathogen interface31. Toll-like receptor recognition of lipoglycans, glycolipids and lipopeptides32. NOD receptor recognition of peptidoglycan33. Microbial interaction with mucus and mucins34. Mannose-fucose recognition by DC-SIGN35. Host surfactant proteins in microbial recognition36. T-cell recognition of microbial lipoglycans and glycolipidsPart IV. Biological relevance of microbial glycosylated components; A. Environmental relevance37. Extracellular polymeric substances in microbial biofilms38. Physico-chemical properties of microbial glycopolymers39. Microbial biofilm-related polysaccharides in biofouling and corrosion40. Microbial glycosylated components in plant disease B. Medical relevance41. Antigenic variation of microbial surface glycosylated molecules42. Phase variation of bacterial surface glycosylated molecules in immune evasion43. Molecular mimicry of host glycosylated structures by bacteria44. Role of microbial glycosylation in host cell invasionPart V. Biotechnological and medical applications45. Exopolysaccharides produced by lactic acid bacteria in food and probiotic applications46. Industrial exploitation by genetic engineering of bacterial glycosylation systems47. Glycomimetics as inhibitors in anti-infection therapy48. Bacterial polysaccharide vaccines: glycogonjugates and peptide-mimetics49. Immunomodulation by zwitterionic polysaccharides50. Future potential of glycomics in microbiology and infectious diseases

Researchers and graduate students in both academia and industry:

Microbiologists
Infectious disease specialists

These researchers are trying to understand how certain microbial pathogens (protozoa, bacteria, fungi, viruses etc) cause disease in humans. With insights from microbial glycobiology new diagnostic methods can be designed to detect the infectious agent and also to determine if one bug is more virulent than another, thus, helping disease diagnosis.

Microbial glycobiology allows them to examine the role that sugars play in the disease process and helps them determine a way to prevent a pathogen causing disease. Hence, new insights will be gained that could aid boost the immune system, thereby new biotheraputics and vaccines are being developed

Biochemists
Carbohydrate chemists (analytical and synthetic)

By determining the structure of glycosylated proteins, lipids and other natural products from microbes, researchers can reveal the location of the sugars. They then have the ability to modify and control which sugars are attached and exactly how they are attached. This is important as it enables them to modify glycosylated biomolecules that are important in disease processes and turn these into better drugs.

Researchers in biomedical, diagnostic and biopharmaceutical companies
Pharmacologists are using microbial glycobiology to produce carbohydrate-based diagnostics, vaccines, drugs and immunotherapeutics.

From the insights gained of the enzymes used in the natural synthesis of the glycosylated molecules in microbes, manipulations using these enzymes can be made to synthesise newer glycosylated structures that can be used in therapeutics or for obtaining correct glycosylation of cloned human proteins used in biotherapeutics.

Since glycosylation determines the half-life of many biotherapeutics, usage of knowledge from glycosylation systems from microbes can help manufacture more effective therapeutics.

Molecular and cell biologists

These researchers are trying to map the complex pathways of how specific sugar polymers are made by pathogenic microbes including bacteria and fungi. The outcome of this research will allow them to identify important drug targets that could be used to screen for novel antimicrobials against a variety of infections. Also, the information gained allows manipulation of biosynthetic pathways in genetic engineering of a variety of glycosylation or carbohydrate products.

Food industry and biotechnology industry

These researchers are using microbial polysaccharides as thickening agents in food products and as probiotic materials e.g. in yogurts. This plays an important role in the development of so-called designer foods.

In industrial processes, certain microbial polysaccharides are involved in corrosion and biofouling and knowledge gained of microbial glycobiology is being applied to overcome these problems.
The biotechnology industry is using and manipulating bacteria to produce glycosylated products of importance for the agrifood and biopharma industrial sectors.