TY - JOUR
T1 - Repeat modules and N-linked glycans define structure and antigenicity of a critical enterotoxigenic E. coli adhesin
AU - Berndsen, Zachary T.
AU - Akhtar, Marjahan
AU - Thapa, Mahima
AU - Vickers, Tim J.
AU - Schmitz, Aaron
AU - Torres, Jonathan L.
AU - Baboo, Sabyasachi
AU - Kumar, Pardeep
AU - Khatoon, Nazia
AU - Sheikh, Alaullah
AU - Hamrick, Melissa
AU - Diedrich, Jolene K.
AU - Martinez-Bartolome, Salvador
AU - Garrett, Patrick T.
AU - Yates, John R.
AU - Turner, Jackson S.
AU - Laird, Renee M.
AU - Poly, Frédéric
AU - Porter, Chad K.
AU - Copps, Jeffrey
AU - Ellebedy, Ali H.
AU - Ward, Andrew B.
AU - Fleckenstein, James M.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright: This is an open access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The work is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication.
PY - 2024/9
Y1 - 2024/9
N2 - Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) cause hundreds of millions of cases of infectious diarrhea annually, predominantly in children from low-middle income regions. Notably, in children, as well as volunteers challenged with ETEC, diarrheal severity is significantly increased in blood group A (bgA) individuals. EtpA, is a secreted glycoprotein adhesin that functions as a blood group A lectin to promote critical interactions between ETEC and blood group A glycans on intestinal epithelia for effective bacterial adhesion and toxin delivery. EtpA is highly immunogenic resulting in robust antibody responses following natural infection and experimental challenge of volunteers with ETEC. To understand how EtpA directs ETEC-blood group A interactions and stimulates adaptive immunity, we mutated EtpA, mapped its glycosylation by mass-spectrometry (MS), isolated polyclonal (pAbs) and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) from vaccinated mice and ETEC-infected volunteers, and determined structures of antibody-EtpA complexes by cryo-electron microscopy. Both bgA and mAbs that inhibited EtpA-bgA interactions and ETEC adhesion, bound to the C-terminal repeat domain highlighting this region as crucial for ETEC pathogen-host interaction. MS analysis uncovered extensive and heterogeneous N-linked glycosylation of EtpA and cryoEM structures revealed that mAbs directly engage these unique glycan containing epitopes. Finally, electron microscopy-based polyclonal epitope mapping revealed antibodies targeting numerous distinct epitopes on N and C-terminal domains, suggesting that EtpA vaccination generates responses against neutralizing and decoy regions of the molecule. Collectively, we anticipate that these data will inform our general understanding of pathogen-host glycan interactions and adaptive immunity relevant to rational vaccine subunit design.
AB - Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) cause hundreds of millions of cases of infectious diarrhea annually, predominantly in children from low-middle income regions. Notably, in children, as well as volunteers challenged with ETEC, diarrheal severity is significantly increased in blood group A (bgA) individuals. EtpA, is a secreted glycoprotein adhesin that functions as a blood group A lectin to promote critical interactions between ETEC and blood group A glycans on intestinal epithelia for effective bacterial adhesion and toxin delivery. EtpA is highly immunogenic resulting in robust antibody responses following natural infection and experimental challenge of volunteers with ETEC. To understand how EtpA directs ETEC-blood group A interactions and stimulates adaptive immunity, we mutated EtpA, mapped its glycosylation by mass-spectrometry (MS), isolated polyclonal (pAbs) and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) from vaccinated mice and ETEC-infected volunteers, and determined structures of antibody-EtpA complexes by cryo-electron microscopy. Both bgA and mAbs that inhibited EtpA-bgA interactions and ETEC adhesion, bound to the C-terminal repeat domain highlighting this region as crucial for ETEC pathogen-host interaction. MS analysis uncovered extensive and heterogeneous N-linked glycosylation of EtpA and cryoEM structures revealed that mAbs directly engage these unique glycan containing epitopes. Finally, electron microscopy-based polyclonal epitope mapping revealed antibodies targeting numerous distinct epitopes on N and C-terminal domains, suggesting that EtpA vaccination generates responses against neutralizing and decoy regions of the molecule. Collectively, we anticipate that these data will inform our general understanding of pathogen-host glycan interactions and adaptive immunity relevant to rational vaccine subunit design.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85205551993&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1371/journal.ppat.1012241
DO - 10.1371/journal.ppat.1012241
M3 - Article
C2 - 39283948
AN - SCOPUS:85205551993
SN - 1553-7366
VL - 20
JO - PLoS Pathogens
JF - PLoS Pathogens
IS - 9 September
M1 - e1012241
ER -