Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42185287›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

Mechanistic basis of teichoic acid transport by a gatekeeper flippase.

Gonzalo Cebrero, Amrutha H Chidananda, Eric Cester, Julien Dénéréaz, Elif Sena Demir, Alen T Mathew, D Ryan Bhowmik, Mario de Capitani, Jean-Louis Reymond, Natarajan Kannan and 4 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Gonzalo Cebrero *Biozentrum, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Amrutha H Chidananda *Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
Eric Cester *Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0006-8426-9948
Julien Dénéréaz *Department of Fundamental Microbiology, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6047-1726
Elif Sena DemirDepartment of Biochemistry, Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0359-4935
Alen T MathewCenter for Molecular Modeling, Ghent University, Zwijnaarde, Belgium.
D Ryan BhowmikDepartment of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
Mario de CapitaniDepartment of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Jean-Louis ReymondDepartment of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2724-2942
Natarajan KannanDepartment of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2833-8375
Fikri Y AvciDepartment of Biochemistry, Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Jan-Willem VeeningDepartment of Fundamental Microbiology, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland. jan-willem.veening@unil.ch.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3162-6634
Ahmad Reza MehdipourCenter for Molecular Modeling, Ghent University, Zwijnaarde, Belgium. AhmadReza.Mehdipour@UGent.be.
Camilo PerezBiozentrum, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland. camilo.perez@uga.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5800-0084

Funding

Molecular Mechanisms for Carbohydrate Presentation to CD4+ T cells by MHCII PathwayR01AI123383 · NIAID · UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA · PI Fikri Y Avci · 2016 to 2026
$4.2M
Glycopeptide-specific helper T cells eliciting protective humoral immunity against HIV - ResubmissionR01AI152766 · NIAID · UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA · PI Fikri Y Avci · 2021 to 2026
$2.6M
Molecular mechanism of MFS and MOP lipid transporters in cell wall biosynthesis.R35GM158187 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA · PI Camilo Perez · 2025 to 2026
$756k
NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI123383NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI152766NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM158187Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung (Swiss National Science Foundation) 310030_207974U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) R35GM158187
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The cell wall is a complex structure that protects bacteria from environmental threats. Phosphocholine-containing teichoic acids are key cell wall biopolymers critical for host colonization, immune evasion, competence, and persistence in Streptococcus pneumoniae. The flippase TacF, a member of the multidrug/oligosaccharide-lipid/polysaccharide (MOP) superfamily, monitors the phosphocholine content of teichoic acids during transport, yet the underlying mechanism of this process remains unresolved. We present a cryo-EM structure of S. pneumoniae TacF in lipid nanodiscs. In vivo complementation assays and molecular dynamics simulations reveal key residues involved in teichoic acid recognition and transport, while coevolutionary and conservation analyses delineate common mechanistic elements among MOP flippases, indicating a shared mechanism for polyprenyl-diphosphate-linked oligosaccharide lipid transport. Our findings provide mechanistic insights into an essential flippase involved in S. pneumoniae pathogenesis and a potential drug target.

Indexed as

Bacterial ProteinsStreptococcus pneumoniaeTeichoic AcidsBiological TransportCell WallCryoelectron MicroscopyMolecular Dynamics SimulationBacterial ProteinsTeichoic Acids

Identifiers

PMID42185287
PMCPMC13385700

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Registered trials

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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.