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O antigens Escherichia coli
1. The structures of Escherichia
coli O-polysaccharide
antigens
R. Stenutz, A. Weintraub & G. Wildmam
2. Escherichia coli
Gram negative bacteria
Family Enterobacteriaceae
Pathogenic and non pathogenic strains
Common cause of diarrhea
Pathotypes- EPEC, ETEC, EIEC,
EHEC, EAEC, DAEC, and UPEC
3.
4. Lipopolysaccharide
structure
It consists of Lipid A, core
Oligosaccharide (OS), and a
polysaccharide (O-PS)
Lipid A part is highly conserved in E. coli
Core OS are of 5 different types R1 to
R4 and K12
Presently O1-O181 are described.
5.
6.
7. Typing of E coli
Based on O, H and K antigen.
Kauffman’s scheme- Serotyping
Each O antigen defines a serogroup, a
combination of O and H antigens defines
the ‘serotype’.
Phenotypic assays based on virulence
characteristics for EAEC, DAEC, ETEC,
EIEC.
NMR spectrum analysis
Genetic analysis is most reliable.
8.
9. Biosynthesis considerations
Wzy polymerase dependent pathway,
for heteropolysaccharides. The
repeating unit mostly have NAG residue
at its reducing end only with
modifications in some strains.
ABC transporter dependent pathway for
homopolymers or have only 2-3
residues in the backbone of the
repeating units
10.
11. O antigen repeating units
The O antigen consists of 10-25 repeats
of 2-7 residues
It can be linear, branched or double
branched
4 residue is most common
Each residue is found in either α or β
configuration
Unusual residues are specific for that E.
coli serogroup.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20. Analysis of the O-antigen structures
revealed that 3-linked N-
acetylglucosamine or N-
acetylgalactosamine residues should be
present at the reducing end.
In some cases, 4-linked NAG is
observed.
4 residue backbone is present in half of
the structures.
Genetic analysis of O antigen cluster will
provide more insight to the structures.
21. Enteropathogenic E. coli
The hallmark of infections due to EPEC is the
attaching-and-effacing histopathology, which
can be observed in intestinal biopsy
specimens from patients or infected animals.
EPEC infection is found in infants younger
than 2 years, mostly in developing countries
The most prevalent serogroups within this
group of E. coli are: O18ac, O20, O25, O26,
O44, O55, O86, O91, O111, O114, O119,
O125ac, O126, O127, O128, O142 and O158
22. Enterotoxigenic E. coli
Express heat labile toxins, colonizes
surface of bowel mucosa and gives rise to
intestinal secretions, causes mild diarrhea
Colonization is mediated by one or more
proteinaceous fimbria or fimbrillar
adhesins termed colonization factor
antigens (CFA)
The most common ETEC serogroups are:
O6, O8, O11, O15, O20, O25, O27, O78,
O128, O148, O149, O159 and O173.
23. Enteroinvasive E. coli
EIEC strains are biochemically, genetically
and pathogenically closely related to
Shigella spp.
EIEC penetrates the lining of the large
intestine, to cause inflammation and
mucosal ulceration, causing bacillary
dysentery.
The most common EIEC serogroups are:
O28ac, O29, O112ac, O124, O136, O143,
O144, O152, O159, O164 and O167.
24. Enterohaemorrhagic E.
coli
Also called VTEC (‘verotoxigenic E. coli’)or
STEC (‘Shiga toxin-producing E. coli’), as
they express stx gene like Shigella,
causing Haemorrhagic colitis
adherence phenotype is the intimate or
attaching and effacing adherence mediated
by the eaeA gene again like Shigella
The most common EHEC serogroups are:
O4, O5, O16, O26, O46, O48, O55, O91,
O98, O111ab, O113, O117, O118, O119,
O125, O126, O128, O145, O157,O172,
O176, O177,O178, O179, O180 and O181
25. Enteroaggregative E. coli
Do not secrete heat labile toxins and
adhere to HEp-2 cells in an aggregative
manner.
Colonize intestinal mucosa, predominantly
that of the colon, followed by secretion of
enterotoxins and cytotoxins
The serogroups that have been identified
within the EAEC group are O3, O7, O15,
O44, O77, O86, O111, O126 and O127.
26. Diffusely Adherent E. coli
Diffuse adherence in the HEp-2 cell
assay, with the help of fimbria
Few studies have been carried out to be
able to describe the clinical aspect of
diarrhea caused by DAEC. In one study,
the patients with DAEC had watery
diarrhea without blood and faecal
leukocytes
27. Uropathogenic E. coli
Epidemiologically associated with
cystitis and acute Kidney infections in
the normal urinary tract.
There is no single phenotypic profile that
causes urinary tract infections.
O serogroups – O4, O6, O14, O22, O75
and O83 – cause 75% of these urinary
tract infections.
Editor's Notes
Hello everyone, I am here to present this review article on
So E. coli as we call it, it’s a Gram -ive bacteria, it belongs to Enterobateriaceae family. It is facultative anaerobe. Our gastrointestinal tract is colonized by it within hours after birth. It benefits us in many ways, but some of its strains acquire some virulence factors and they become pathogenic to us. It causes diarrhea, urinary tract infections, Meningitis. This is a typical gram –ive envelop, these are characterized by the LPS that are anchored in the outer membrane.
The lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) of Escherichia coli consist of (i) a hydrophobic lipid A component that forms the toxic component, (ii) a phosphorylated, non-repetitive hetero-oligosaccharide known as the core oligosaccharide (core OS) divided into inner and outer part, and (iii) a polysaccharide (O-PS) that extends from the cell surface and that forms the O antigen. The smooth LPS (S-LPS) molecules are composed of this three-part structure, whereas rough LPS (R-LPS) lacks the O antigen. Out of which O31, O47, O67 and some more have been removed and some are being reconsidered because of similarities with other gram –ve bacteria Shigellae.
Now typing of E coli can be done on the basis of O antigen of LPS, H (flagellar), and K (capsular) surface antigen profile. Here we will focus only on O antigen part. Kauffmann first used serotyping to describe 20 O antigen groups. Sera are produced by immunization of rabbits with cultures heated
at 100ͦC for 2 h. Broth cultures or agar plate suspensions heated at 100ͦC for 1 h are used as antigens. This can’t be enough so several phenotypic assays based on virulence factors for EAEC, DAEC, ETEC, and EIEC are used. A crude LPS extract is used to obtain 1H(proton) NMR in D2O (deuterium water). A number of characteristic signals are obtained, mostly unresolved but it is still used to compare with the known NMR data. The assay is based on nucleic acid probes and PCR, which is highly sensitive.
The biosynthesis of LPS and its transport to the outer membrane in E. coli takes place by either Wzy polymerase dependent pathway and the ABC transporter pathway. “Wzy-dependent mechanism,” involves the transfer of glycosyl-1-phosphoryl residue to the lipid carrier Undecaprenyl phosphate acceptor to form an undecaprenyl-PP sugar intermediate at the cytoplasmic side of the inner membrane. This intermediate OS is flipped across the cytoplasmic membrane by Wzx protein, polymerized by the Wzy polymerase in the periplasmic space. It is transferred to the lipid A core by the WaaL ligase. The chain-length, is determined by the Wzz product. Like GalNAc instead of GlcNAc.
The alternative “ABC transporter-dependent” pathway utilizes the b-D-GlcNAc-PP-undecaprenol entity as a primer for the chain elongation taking place on the cytoplasmic side of the membrane, which is transported across the inner membrane by an ATP-binding cassette transporter and subsequently ligated to the lipid A core.
In E. coli, the WecA UDP-GlcNAc:Und-P GlcNAc-1-P transferase can initiate either assembly pathway.
Genetic analysis of E. coli O26 and O172 has revealed that the second sugar is added to the D-GlcNAc-PP undecaprenol carrier by a UDP-L-FucNAc transferase to form an a-(1-3)-linkage. Analysis of the O-antigen structures hitherto determined indicates that in the serogroups O4, O25 and
O172 the third sugar to be added is an a-(1-3)-linked glucosyl residue, i.e. the backbone, or part of it, has the following structure: ! X)-a-D-Glc-(1 ! 3)-a-L-FucNAc- (1 ! 3)-b-D-GlcNAc(1 !, where X represents different linkage positions. Further genetic similarities may be present, e.g. in O4:K52, ! 2)-a-L-Rha-(1 ! 6)-a-D-Glc- (1 ! 3)-a-L-FucNAc-(1 ! 3)-b-D-GlcNAc(1 !, and O26 (e.g. without the glucosyl residue), where the last sugar is an a-linked rhamnosyl residue, which is possibly also the case for O25. The latter strain carries an additional D-Glc residue that forms a substituted branch-point residue. In analogy to
the hypothesis described above, close structural relationships are observed between, for example, O6, O17, O44, O58, O77, O78 and O88, having a Man-Man-GlcNAc sequence at the reducing end.