ArticlePLoS biology2022
Identification of a novel cationic glycolipid in Streptococcus agalactiae that contributes to brain entry and meningitis.
Article in PLoS biology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers.
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.
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.
Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.
- Cryo-EM structures of Candida albicans chitin synthase Chs1 reveal a druggable translocation channel.Nature microbiology · 2026Article
- Group B streptococcal membrane vesicles induce proinflammatory responses in neonatal meninges.Infection and immunity · 2026Article
- The DUF998 family protein DrmA modulates cationic glycolipid levels and the emergence of high-level daptomycin resistance inbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Biosynthesis of glucosaminyl phosphatidylglycerol inJournal of bacteriology · 2025Article
- Global genome analysis identifies glycolipids and lipoteichoic acid alanylation as contributors to group B streptococcal diabetic wound infection.Cell reports · 2025Article
- Mapping unsolved lipidomes accelerates lipid discovery in major bacterial pathogens.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Evidence of a novel sublineage ofMicrobial genomics · 2025Article
- Trimming the fat: a brief review of lipids at the host-pathogen interface.Infection and immunity · 2025Review
- Breaking the fortress: a mechanistic review of meningitis-causing bacteria breaching tactics in blood brain barrier.Cell communication and signaling : CCS · 2025Review
- TamL is a Key Player of the Outer Membrane Homeostasis in Bacteroidota.Journal of molecular biology · 2025Article
- Molecular basis of neurosteroid and anticonvulsant regulation of TRPM3.Nature structural & molecular biology · 2025Article
- Identification of glyoxalase A in group BInfection and immunity · 2025Article
- Structure and inhibition mechanisms of Mycobacterium tuberculosis essential transporter efflux protein A.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Gram-positive pathogens, inflammation, and the host lipid environment.Current opinion in microbiology · 2025Review
- Complete Polar Lipid Profile of Kefir Beverage by Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography with HRMS and Tandem Mass Spectrometry.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Identification of Glyoxalase A in Group BbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2024Article
- Article
- Group BJournal of bacteriology · 2024Article
- Article
- Construction of a Bacterial Lipidomics Analytical Platform: Pilot Validation with Bovine Paratuberculosis Serum.Metabolites · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Bacterial membrane lipids are critical for membrane bilayer formation, cell division, protein localization, stress responses, and pathogenesis. Despite their critical roles, membrane lipids have not been fully elucidated for many pathogens. Here, we report the discovery of a novel cationic glycolipid, lysyl-glucosyl-diacylglycerol (Lys-Glc-DAG), which is synthesized in high abundance by the bacterium Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B Streptococcus, GBS). To our knowledge, Lys-Glc-DAG is more positively charged than any other known lipids. Lys-Glc-DAG carries 2 positive net charges per molecule, distinct from the widely described lysylated phospholipid lysyl-phosphatidylglycerol (Lys-PG) that carries one positive net charge due to the presence of a negatively charged phosphate moiety. We use normal phase liquid chromatography (NPLC) coupled with electrospray ionization (ESI) high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (HRMS/MS) and genetic approaches to determine that Lys-Glc-DAG is synthesized by the enzyme MprF in GBS, which covalently modifies the neutral glycolipid Glc-DAG with the cationic amino acid lysine. GBS is a leading cause of neonatal meningitis, which requires traversal of the endothelial blood-brain barrier (BBB). We demonstrate that GBS strains lacking mprF exhibit a significant decrease in the ability to invade BBB endothelial cells. Further, mice challenged with a GBSΔmprF mutant developed bacteremia comparably to wild-type (WT) infected mice yet had less recovered bacteria from brain tissue and a lower incidence of meningitis. Thus, our data suggest that Lys-Glc-DAG may contribute to bacterial uptake into host cells and disease progression. Importantly, our discovery provides a platform for further study of cationic lipids at the host-pathogen interface.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.