Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38951648›Full record

ArticleNature chemical biology2025

Transition transferases prime bacterial capsule polymerization.

Christa Litschko, Valerio Di Domenico, Julia Schulze, Sizhe Li, Olga G Ovchinnikova, Thijs Voskuilen, Andrea Bethe, Javier O Cifuente, Alberto Marina, Insa Budde and 10 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature chemical biology, 2025. 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
–field-weighted citation impact
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.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. 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

20 authors.

Christa Litschko *Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-9114-4832
Valerio Di Domenico *Structural Glycobiology Laboratory, Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Cruces University Hospital, Barakaldo, Spain.ORCID 0000-0002-8040-5854
Julia Schulze *Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-8765-6672
Sizhe LiLeiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Olga G OvchinnikovaDepartment of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
Thijs VoskuilenLeiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Andrea BetheInstitute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
Javier O CifuenteStructural Glycobiology Laboratory, Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Cruces University Hospital, Barakaldo, Spain.ORCID 0000-0001-5420-121X
Alberto MarinaStructural Glycobiology Laboratory, Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences, Basque Research and Technology Alliance, Bizkaia Technology Park, Derio, Spain.ORCID 0000-0001-7822-0503
Insa BuddeInstitute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
Tim A MastInstitute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
Małgorzata SulewskaInstitute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
Monika BergerInstitute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
Falk F R BuettnerInstitute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-8468-1223
Todd L LowaryDepartment of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-8331-8211
Chris WhitfieldDepartment of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-5267-7027
Jeroen D C CodéeLeiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-3531-2138
Mario SchubertDepartment of Biosciences and Medical Biology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.ORCID 0000-0003-0278-4091
Marcelo E GuerinStructural Glycobiology Laboratory, Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Cruces University Hospital, Barakaldo, Spain. mrccri@ibmb.csic.es.ORCID 0000-0001-9524-3184
Timm FiebigInstitute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany. Fiebig.Timm@mh-hannover.de.ORCID 0000-0002-2021-7296

Funding

Rationalizing glycoengineering strategies for immunotherapeutic antibodiesR01AI149297 · NIAID · EMORY UNIVERSITY · PI JEFFREY Victor RAVETCH, ERIC JOHN SUNDBERG · 2020 to 2026
$3.7M
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation) 412824531Gouvernement du Canada | Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Instituts de Recherche en Santé du Canada) FDN-2016-148364NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI149297UAlberta | Canadian Glycomics Network (GlycoNet) SD-1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Capsules are long-chain carbohydrate polymers that envelop the surfaces of many bacteria, protecting them from host immune responses. Capsule biosynthesis enzymes are potential drug targets and valuable biotechnological tools for generating vaccine antigens. Despite their importance, it remains unknown how structurally variable capsule polymers of Gram-negative pathogens are linked to the conserved glycolipid anchoring these virulence factors to the bacterial membrane. Using Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae as an example, we demonstrate that CpsA and CpsC generate a poly(glycerol-3-phosphate) linker to connect the glycolipid with capsules containing poly(galactosylglycerol-phosphate) backbones. We reconstruct the entire capsule biosynthesis pathway in A. pleuropneumoniae serotypes 3 and 7, solve the X-ray crystal structure of the capsule polymerase CpsD, identify its tetratricopeptide repeat domain as essential for elongating poly(glycerol-3-phosphate) and show that CpsA and CpsC stimulate CpsD to produce longer polymers. We identify the CpsA and CpsC product as a wall teichoic acid homolog, demonstrating similarity between the biosynthesis of Gram-positive wall teichoic acid and Gram-negative capsules.

Indexed as

Bacterial CapsulesPolymerizationActinobacillus pleuropneumoniaeBacterial ProteinsCrystallography, X-RayModels, MolecularTeichoic AcidsBacterial ProteinsTeichoic Acids

Identifiers

PMID38951648
PMCPMC11666461

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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.