Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33125866›Full record

ArticleCurrent biology : CB2021

Mucin Glycans Signal through the Sensor Kinase RetS to Inhibit Virulence-Associated Traits in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Benjamin X Wang, Kelsey M Wheeler, Kyle C Cady, Sylvain Lehoux, Richard D Cummings, Michael T Laub, Katharina Ribbeck

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Current biology : CB, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 59 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
59citing papers in PubMed
8.3field-weighted citation impact, top 2% 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

59 citing papers in PubMed, 86 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Review
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  10. Airway mucus in infection.Frontiers in physiology · 2026
    Review
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  12. Review
  13. Review
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. iScience · 2025
    Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Mussel-inspired cross-linking mechanisms enhance gelation and adhesion of multifunctional mucin-derived hydrogels.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025
    Article
  20. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Benjamin X WangDepartment of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.
Kelsey M WheelerDepartment of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.
Kyle C CadyDepartment of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Roche Molecular Systems, Inc., Santa Clara, CA 95050, USA.
Sylvain LehouxNational Center for Functional Glycomics, Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
Richard D CummingsNational Center for Functional Glycomics, Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
Michael T LaubDepartment of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA. Electronic address: laub@mit.edu.
Katharina RibbeckDepartment of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA. Electronic address: ribbeck@mit.edu.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology · USBeth Israel Deaconess Medical Center · USHarvard University · US

Funding

TOXICOLOGY CORE UNITP30ES002109 · NIEHS · MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY · PI YAFFE, MICHAEL B · 1985 to 2020
$25.6M
Overall Priority Score P41GM103694 · NIGMS · EMORY UNIVERSITY · PI CUMMINGS, RICHARD D · 2013 to 2018
$6.9M
Cell Cycle Regulation in Caulobacter CrescentusR01GM082899 · NIGMS · MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY · PI LAUB, MICHAEL · 2008 to 2020
$3.8M
Mucin Glycans in the Regulation of Microbial VirulenceR01EB017755 · NIBIB · MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY · PI RIBBECK, KATHARINA · 2013 to 2022
$3.6M
Howard Hughes Medical InstituteNIBIB NIH HHS R01 EB017755NIEHS NIH HHS P30 ES002109NIGMS NIH HHS P41 GM103694NIGMS NIH HHS R01 GM082899
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Mucus is a densely populated ecological niche that coats all non-keratinized epithelia, and plays a critical role in protecting the human body from infections. Although traditionally viewed as a physical barrier, emerging evidence suggests that mucus can directly suppress virulence-associated traits in opportunistic pathogens including Pseudomonas aeruginosa. However, the molecular mechanisms by which mucus affords this protection are unclear. Here, we show that mucins, and particularly their associated glycans, signal through the Dismed2 domain of the sensor kinase RetS in P. aeruginosa. We find that this RetS-dependent signaling leads to the direct inhibition of the GacS-GacA two-component system, the activity of which is associated with a chronic infection state. This signaling includes downregulation of the type VI secretion system (T6SS), and prevents T6SS-dependent bacterial killing by P. aeruginosa. Overall, these results shed light on how mucus impacts P. aeruginosa behavior, and may inspire novel approaches for controlling P. aeruginosa infections.

Indexed as

AnimalsBacterial ProteinsDisease Models, AnimalDown-RegulationGastric MucosaGene Expression Regulation, BacterialHost-Pathogen InteractionsHumansMucin 5ACPolysaccharidesPseudomonas aeruginosaPseudomonas InfectionsRNA-SeqSwineTranscription FactorsType VI Secretion SystemsBacterial ProteinsGacA protein, BacterialemA protein, bacterialMucin 5ACPolysaccharidesRetS protein, Pseudomonas aeruginosaTranscription FactorsType VI Secretion SystemsGacSglycansmucinsmucusPseudomonas aeruginosaRetST6SStwo-component signalingtype VI secretion system

Identifiers

PMID33125866
PMCPMC8759707
OpenAlexW3094689887

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
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.