Javier O Cifuente, Julia Schulze, Andrea Bethe, Valerio Di Domenico, Christa Litschko, Insa Budde, Lukas Eidenberger, Hauke Thiesler, Isabel Ramón Roth, Monika Berger, Heike Claus, Cecilia D'Angelo, Alberto Marina, Rita Gerardy-Schahn, Mario Schubert, Marcelo E Guerin, Timm Fiebig
Bacterial capsules have critical roles in host-pathogen interactions. They provide a protective envelope against host recognition, leading to immune evasion and bacterial survival. Here we define the capsule biosynthesis pathway of Haemophilus influenzae serotype b (Hib), a Gram-negative bacterium that causes severe infections in infants and children. Reconstitution of this pathway enabled the fermentation-free production of Hib vaccine antigens starting from widely available precursors and detailed characterization of the enzymatic machinery...
June 5, 2023: Nature Chemical Biology