Life Sciences Seminar: An interdisciplinary approach to comprehensive prokaryotic glycoproteomics and its application to pathogenic bacteria
Life Sciences Seminar
An interdisciplinary approach to comprehensive prokaryotic glycoproteomics and its application to pathogenic bacteria
Dr. Stefan Schulze
Post-doctoral Researcher
UPenn
Abstract:
Protein glycosylation, one of the most complex post-translational modifications, plays central roles in a variety of cellular processes in prokaryotes. Therefore, system-wide analyses of glycoproteins are crucial to gain a molecular understanding of biofilm formation, antibiotic resistance, and pathogenicity mechanisms. Yet the challenges posed by the complexity and variability of glycoproteins have prevented their large-scale analyses in most prokaryotes. Here, I will present an interdisciplinary approach that combines bioinformatics, comprehensive glycoproteomics and cell biological characterizations for the functional analysis of prokaryotic glycosylation. For the model archaeon Haloferax volcanii, this approach not only led to the identification of the largest archaeal glycoproteome described so far, but also revealed the concurrence of two independent N-glycosylation pathways that can modify the same glycosylation sites. Furthermore, phenotypic assays showed the involvement of glycosylation in crucial cellular processes such as cell shape determination. The universal applicability of the developed methods and bioinformatic tools now sets the stage for functional glycoproteomics in bacteria, with first results highlighting the importance of glycosylation for biofilm formation in the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In summary, comprehensive prokaryotic glycoproteomics provides new insights into prokaryotic cell biology, and in turn opens new avenues for the development of novel therapeutics.
Intended Audience:
Beginners, undergraduates, graduates. Those with interest in the topic.
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