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Identification of D-arabinan-degrading enzymes in mycobacteria

Abstract:

Bacterial cell growth and division require the coordinated action of enzymes that synthesize and degrade cell wall polymers. Here, we identify enzymes that cleave the D-arabinan core of arabinogalactan, an unusual component of the cell wall of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other mycobacteria. We screened 14 human gut-derived Bacteroidetes for arabinogalactan-degrading activities and identified four families of glycoside hydrolases with activity against the D-arabinan or D-galactan components of arabinogalactan. Using one of these isolates with exo-D-galactofuranosidase activity, we generated enriched D-arabinan and used it to identify a strain of Dysgonomonas gadei as a D-arabinan degrader. This enabled the discovery of endo- and exo-acting enzymes that cleave D-arabinan, including members of the DUF2961 family (GH172) and a family of glycoside hydrolases (DUF4185/GH183) that display endo-D-arabinofuranase activity and are conserved in mycobacteria and other microbes. Mycobacterial genomes encode two conserved endo-D-arabinanases with different preferences for the D-arabinan-containing cell wall components arabinogalactan and lipoarabinomannan, suggesting they are important for cell wall modification and/or degradation. The discovery of these enzymes will support future studies into the structure and function of the mycobacterial cell wall.

Publication status:
Published
Peer review status:
Peer reviewed

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Publisher copy:
10.1038/s41467-023-37839-5

Authors

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Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
MSD
Department:
NDORMS
Sub department:
Kennedy Institute for Rheumatology
Oxford college:
St Edmund Hall
Role:
Author
et al.


Publisher:
Springer Nature
Journal:
Nature Communications More from this journal
Volume:
14
Article number:
2233
Publication date:
2023-04-19
Acceptance date:
2023-03-31
DOI:
EISSN:
2041-1723


Language:
English
Keywords:
Pubs id:
1343553
Local pid:
pubs:1343553
Deposit date:
2023-05-22
ARK identifier:

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