Microarray of carbohydrate coated bacteria
- From: "whitesickle@xxxxxxx" <whitesickle@xxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2006 01:03:07 -0500 (EST)
Public release date: 13-Feb-2006
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Contact: Lara Mahal
lmahal@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
512-471-2318
University of Texas at Austin
Scientists seek to unwrap the sweet mystery of the sugar coat on
bacteria
Scientists at The University of Texas at Austin have developed a quick
and simple way to investigate the sugar coating that surrounds bacteria
and plays a role in infection and immunity.
The sugars coating bacteria can change very quickly during the course
of an infection, cloaking the bacteria from the immune system of their
host. Previous techniques for studying the sugars were too slow to
catch these rapid changes.
"There's a growing recognition of the importance of carbohydrates on
bacterial cell surfaces," says Dr. Lara Mahal, lead researcher and
assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry with the Institute
for Cellular and Molecular Biology. "The carbohydrate coating is
critical in how your immune system recognizes bacteria."
Mahal and graduate student Ken Hsu report their findings in the advance
on-line edition and March issue of Nature Chemical Biology.
The scientists studied the sugar coats of four strains of bacteria: two
lab strains of E. coli, one pathogenic strain of E. coli that causes
neonatal meningitis, and Salmonella typhimurium, which causes food
poisoning.
They analyzed each strain of bacteria using lectin microarrays--small
glass plates covered with dots of sugar-binding proteins called
lectins. The lectin dots act like microbe Velcro. Bacteria with a
surface sugar that matches a specific lectin stick to that lectin dot.
Because the bacteria are fluorescently labeled, Mahal and her
colleagues can read the patterns of glowing dots and determine which
sugars coat the bacteria.
The microarray technique worked fast enough that the researchers were
able to see the sugar coating change over time in the neonatal
meningitis strain of E. coli.
"Over time, the lectins lost their ability to see these bacteria," says
Mahal. "This demonstrates that our system is able to see a dynamic
change in the carbohydrates on bacteria surface over time."
Mahal says the microarray method could provide an important tool for
identifying bacteria and diagnosing infection. It will also provide a
way for scientists to start asking questions about the role that
surface sugars play in bacterial infection and symbiotic relationships.
.
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