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Microbiology 153 (2007), 2817-2822; DOI  10.1099/mic.0.2007/009480-0
© 2007 Society for General Microbiology

Mini-Review

Sialic acid utilization by bacterial pathogens

Emmanuele Severi1, Derek W. Hood2 and Gavin H. Thomas1

1 Department of Biology (Area 10), University of York, PO Box 373, York YO10 5YW, UK
2 Molecular Infectious Diseases Group, University of Oxford Department of Paediatrics, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK

Correspondence
Gavin H. Thomas
ght2{at}york.ac.uk

Sialic acid occupies the terminal position within glycan molecules on the surfaces of many vertebrate cells, where it functions in diverse cellular processes such as intercellular adhesion and cell signalling. Pathogenic bacteria have evolved to use this molecule beneficially in at least two different ways: they can coat themselves in sialic acid, providing resistance to components of the host's innate immune response, or they can use it as a nutrient. Sialic acid itself is either synthesized de novo by these bacteria or scavenged directly from the host. In this mini-review we will summarize recent findings relating to sialic acid transport, modification of sialic acid by O-acetylation, and the mechanisms of sialic acid-mediated complement resistance.

Abbreviations: these are defined in the legend of Fig. 1




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E. Severi, A. Muller, J. R. Potts, A. Leech, D. Williamson, K. S. Wilson, and G. H. Thomas
Sialic Acid Mutarotation Is Catalyzed by the Escherichia coli {beta}-Propeller Protein YjhT
J. Biol. Chem., February 22, 2008; 283(8): 4841 - 4849.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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