Although Helicobacter pylori's (Hp's) glycans are linked to pathogenesis and are targets for therapeutic intervention, Hp's glycome remains poorly understood. Here we set out to discover the full suite of Hp's glycoproteins using a chemical technique termed metabolic oligosaccharide engineering. We demonstrate that treatment of Hp with the unnatural, azide-containing sugar peracetylated N-azidoacetylglucosamine (Ac4GlcNAz) leads to metabolic incorporation of azides into a large number of N-linked and O-linked glycoproteins. Mass spectrometry analyses indicate that several of Hp's glycosylated proteins are known virulence factors and that these proteins are modified with unusual glycans. Future experiments will be aimed at identifying Hp's N-linked and O-linked general glycosylation systems, determining the role of Hp's glycans in pathogenesis, and targeting Hp based on its unique glycans. This work sets the stage for providing further insights into Hp's glycobiology and, ultimately, for the development of glycosylation-based therapeutic strategies to eradicate Hp infection.

Chemical approach to discover <i>Helicobacter pylori</i>'s glycoproteins

241st National Meeting (2011)

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Chemical approach to discover Helicobacter pylori's glycoproteins