Sweet impersonators: Molecular mimicry of host glycans by bacteria.

Hanna de Jong, Marc M S M Wösten, Tom Wennekes

Glycobiology 2022 Feb 26

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All bacteria display surface-exposed glycans that can play an important role in their interaction with the host and in select cases mimic the glycans found on host cells, an event called molecular or glycan mimicry. In this review, we highlight the key bacteria that display human glycan mimicry and provide an overview of the involved glycan structures. We also discuss the general trends and outstanding questions associated with human glycan mimicry by bacteria. Finally, we provide an overview of several techniques that have emerged from the discipline of chemical glycobiology, which can aid in the study of the composition, variability, interaction and functional role of these mimicking glycans. © The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press.

Citation

Hanna de Jong, Marc M S M Wösten, Tom Wennekes. Sweet impersonators: Molecular mimicry of host glycans by bacteria. Glycobiology. 2022 Feb 26;32(1):11-22