Biology subjects

nitz, m.

Publications and source records attributed to nitz, m..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2022

Attenuation of polysialic acid biosynthesis in cells by the small molecule inhibitor 8-keto-sialic acid

Sialic acids are key mediators of cell function, particularly with regards to cellular interactions with the surrounding environment. Reagents that modulate the display of specific sialyl glycoforms at the cell surface would be useful biochemical tools and potentially allow for therapeutic intervention in numerous challenging chronic diseases. While multiple strategies are being explored for the control of cell surface sialosides, none that shows high selectivity between sialyltransferases or that targets a specific sialyl glycoform has yet to emerge. Here we describe a strategy to block the formation of 2,8-linked sialic acid chains (oligo- and polysialic acid) through the use of 8-keto-sialic acid as a chain-terminating metabolic inhibitor that, if incorporated, can not be elongated. 8-Keto-sialic acid is non-toxic at effective concentrations and serves to block polysialic acid synthesis in cancer cell lines and primary immune cells, with minimal effects on other sialyl glycoforms.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2021

Truncation of poly-N-acetylglucosamine (PNAG) polymerization with N-acetylglucosamine analogues

Bacteria require polysaccharides for structure, survival, and virulence. Despite the central role these structures play in microbiology few tools are available to manipulate their production. In E. coli the glycosyltransferase complex PgaCD produces poly-N-acetylglucosamine (PNAG), an extracellular matrix polysaccharide required for biofilm formation. We report that C6-substituted (H, F, N3, SH, NH2) UDP-GlcNAc substrate analogues are inhibitors of PgaCD. In vitro the inhibitors cause PNAG chain termination; consistent with the mechanism of PNAG polymerization from the non-reducing terminus. In vivo, expression of the GlcNAc-1-kinase NahK in E. coli provided a non-native GlcNAc salvage pathway that produced the UDP-GlcNAc analogue inhibitors in situ. The 6-fluoro and 6-deoxy derivatives were potent inhibitors of biofilm formation in the transformed strain, providing a tool to manipulate this key exopolysaccharide. Characterization of the UDP-GlcNAc pool and quantification of PNAG generation support PNAG termination as the primary in vivo mechanism of biofilm inhibition by 6-fluoro UDP-GlcNAc.

biochemistry↗