Abstract
Bacteria contain glycerol phosphate (GroP)-containing glycans, which are important constituents of cell-surface glycopolymers such as the teichoic acids of Gram-positive bacterial cell walls. These glycopolymers comprising GroP play crucial roles in bacterial physiology and virulence. Recently, the first identification of a GroP-containing glycan in mammals was reported as a variant form of O-mannosyl glycan on α-dystroglycan (α-DG). However, the biological significance of such GroP modification remains largely unknown. In this review, we provide an overview of this new discovery of GroP-containing glycan in mammals and then outline the recent progress in elucidating the biosynthetic mechanisms of GroP-containing glycans on α-DG. In addition, we discuss the potential biological role of GroP modification along with the challenges and prospects for further research. The progress in this newly identified glycan modification will provide insights into the phylogenetic implications of glycan.
Highlights
Glycerol phosphate (GroP) is an important building block of glycopolymers on the bacterial cell surface such as teichoic acids on the cell wall of Gram-positive bacteria [1,2,3]
Teichoic acids are divided into two types: (i) peptidoglycan-linked glycopolymers, some of which contain phosphodiester polymers composed of Gro3P, and (ii) membrane glycolipid-linked glycopolymers, which typically contain polymers of Gro1P [5,6]
We further provide an overview of research progress in elucidating the biological significance of glycerol phosphate (GroP)-modified glycans and remaining questions to resolve
Summary
Glycerol phosphate (GroP) is an important building block of glycopolymers on the bacterial cell surface such as teichoic acids on the cell wall of Gram-positive bacteria [1,2,3]. These glycopolymers play crucial roles in determining the bacterial cell shape, regulating cell division, protection from host defenses, antimicrobial resistance, and pathogenicity [4]. We first describe the biosynthetic mechanism of the Rbo5P-containing O-mannosyl glycan of α-DG and outline the steps leading to the recent discovery of the novel GroP-containing glycoform in mammals
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