Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27632412›Full record

ArticleAmerican journal of respiratory cell and molecular biology2017

Characterization of N-Acetylglucosamine Biosynthesis in Pneumocystis species. A New Potential Target for Therapy.

Theodore J Kottom, Deanne M Hebrink, Paige E Jenson, Jorge H Ramirez-Prado, Andrew H Limper

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in American journal of respiratory cell and molecular biology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 29% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Plant signaling & behavior · 2026
    Article
  2. Characterization of theAntimicrobial agents and chemotherapy · 2024
    Article
  3. Article
  4. CD4Infection and immunity · 2019
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Theodore J Kottom1 Thoracic Diseases Research Unit, Departments of Internal Medicine and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota; and.
Deanne M Hebrink1 Thoracic Diseases Research Unit, Departments of Internal Medicine and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota; and.
Paige E Jenson1 Thoracic Diseases Research Unit, Departments of Internal Medicine and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota; and.
Jorge H Ramirez-Prado2 Unidad de Biotecnologia, Centro de Investigacion Cientifica de Yucatan, Asociación Civil, Merida, Yucatan, Mexico.
Andrew H Limper1 Thoracic Diseases Research Unit, Departments of Internal Medicine and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota; and.
Mayo Clinic · USSecretaría de Investigación, Innovación y Educación Superior · MX

Funding

Pneumocystis: Macrophage & Epithelial ActivationR01HL062150 · NHLBI · MAYO CLINIC ROCHESTER · PI ANDREW H LIMPER · 1998 to 2026
$9.2M
NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL062150
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) serves as an essential structural sugar on the cell surface of organisms. For example, GlcNAc is a major component of bacterial peptidoglycan, it is an important building block of fungal cell walls, including a major constituent of chitin and mannoproteins, and it is also required for extracellular matrix generation by animal cells. Herein, we provide evidence for a uridine diphospho (UDP)-GlcNAc pathway in Pneumocystis species. Using an in silico search of the Pneumocystis jirovecii and P. murina (Pm) genomic databases, we determined the presence of at least four proteins implicated in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae UDP-GlcNAc biosynthetic pathway. These genes, termed GFA1, GNA1, AGM1, and UDP-GlcNAc pyrophosphorylase (UAP1), were either confirmed to be present in the Pneumocystis genomes by PCR, or, in the case of Pm uap1 (Pmuap1), functionally confirmed by direct enzymatic activity assay. Expression analysis using quantitative PCR of Pneumocystis pneumonia in mice demonstrated abundant expression of the Pm uap1 transcript. A GlcNAc-binding recombinant protein and a novel GlcNAc-binding immune detection method both verified the presence of GlcNAc in P. carinii (Pc) lysates. Studies of Pc cell wall fractions using high-performance gas chromatography/mass spectrometry documented the presence of GlcNAc glycosyl residues. Pc was shown to synthesize GlcNAc in vitro. The competitive UDP-GlcNAc substrate synthetic inhibitor, nikkomycin Z, suppressed incorporation of GlcNAc by Pc preparations. Finally, treatment of rats with Pneumocystis pneumonia using nikkomycin Z significantly reduced organism burdens. Taken together, these data support an important role for GlcNAc generation in the cell surface of Pneumocystis organisms.

Indexed as

Molecular Targeted TherapyAcetylglucosamineAminoglycosidesAnimalsBiosynthetic PathwaysBlotting, WesternCell WallDisease Models, AnimalFluorescent Antibody TechniqueFungal ProteinsGas Chromatography-Mass SpectrometryGenes, FungalLectinsMicePneumocystisPneumonia, PneumocystisAcetylglucosamineAminoglycosidesFungal ProteinsLectinsnikkomycinRNA, Messengercell wallN-acetylglucosaminenikkomycin ZpathogenesisPneumocystis

Identifiers

PMID27632412
PMCPMC5359649
OpenAlexW2520332696

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.