ArticlePLoS pathogens2019
PolyGlcNAc-containing exopolymers enable surface penetration by non-motile Enterococcus faecalis.
Article in PLoS pathogens, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers.
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Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 33 citations in OpenAlex.
- Article
- Synergistic growth, metabolic products, and matrix quantification in dual-species biofilms of oral pathogens.Journal of applied oral science : revista FOB · 2026Article
- Surfactin inhibits enterococcal biofilm formation via interference with pilus and exopolysaccharide biosynthesis.BMC microbiology · 2025Article
- Antimicrobial and antibiofilm effects of crude and microencapsulated guava leaf extracts againstFrontiers in antibiotics · 2025Article
- Temporal dynamics in the composition of metabolically active bacteria and fungi in the ileo-cecal lymph nodes of suckling and newly weaned piglets.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Review
- A diverse set of Enterococcus-infecting phage provides insight into phage host-range determinants.Virus research · 2024Article
- Enterococcus faecalis: implications for host health.World journal of microbiology & biotechnology · 2024Review
- Enterococcal-host interactions in the gastrointestinal tract and beyond.FEMS microbes · 2024Review
- The biofilm community resurfaces: new findings and post-pandemic progress.Journal of bacteriology · 2023Review
- Vancomycin-variable enterococci in sheep and cattle isolates and whole-genome sequencing analysis of isolates harboringIranian journal of veterinary research · 2023Article
- Article
- Identification of four hub genes in venous thromboembolism via weighted gene coexpression network analysis.BMC cardiovascular disorders · 2021Article
- Sugarcoating it: Enterococcal polysaccharides as key modulators of host-pathogen interactions.PLoS pathogens · 2021Review
- Lytic bacteriophages facilitate antibiotic sensitization ofAntimicrobial agents and chemotherapy · 2021Article
- Cryptic surface-associated multicellularity emerges through cell adhesion and its regulation.PLoS biology · 2021Article
- Article
- Effects of ClpP protease on biofilm formation of Enterococcus faecalis.Journal of applied oral science : revista FOB · 2021Article
- Specificity Influences in (1→3)-β-d-Glucan-Supported Diagnosis of Invasive Fungal Disease.Journal of fungi (Basel, Switzerland) · 2020Review
- Molecular mechanisms of enterococcal-bacteriophage interactions and implications for human health.Current opinion in microbiology · 2020Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Bacterial pathogens have evolved strategies that enable them to invade tissues and spread within the host. Enterococcus faecalis is a leading cause of local and disseminated multidrug-resistant hospital infections, but the molecular mechanisms used by this non-motile bacterium to penetrate surfaces and translocate through tissues remain largely unexplored. Here we present experimental evidence indicating that E. faecalis generates exopolysaccharides containing β-1,6-linked poly-N-acetylglucosamine (polyGlcNAc) as a mechanism to successfully penetrate semisolid surfaces and translocate through human epithelial cell monolayers. Genetic screening and molecular analyses of mutant strains identified glnA, rpiA and epaX as genes critically required for optimal E. faecalis penetration and translocation. Mechanistically, GlnA and RpiA cooperated to generate uridine diphosphate N-acetylglucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc) that was utilized by EpaX to synthesize polyGlcNAc-containing polymers. Notably, exogenous supplementation with polymeric N-acetylglucosamine (PNAG) restored surface penetration by E. faecalis mutants devoid of EpaX. Our study uncovers an unexpected mechanism whereby the RpiA-GlnA-EpaX metabolic axis enables production of polyGlcNAc-containing polysaccharides that endow E. faecalis with the ability to penetrate surfaces. Hence, targeting carbohydrate metabolism or inhibiting biosynthesis of polyGlcNAc-containing exopolymers may represent a new strategy to more effectively confront enterococcal infections in the clinic.
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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.