Investigating Peptidoglycan Recycling Pathways in Tannerella forsythia with N-Acetylmuramic Acid Bioorthogonal Probes

The human oral microbiome is the second largest microbial community in humans, harboring over 700 bacterial species, which aid in digestion and protect from growth of disease causing pathogens. One such oral pathogen, Tannerella forsythia, along with other species, contributes to the pathogenesis of periodontitis. T. forsythia is unable to produce its own N- acetylmuramic acid (NAM) sugar, essential for peptidoglycan biosynthesis and therefore must scavenge NAM from other species with which it cohabitates. Here, we explore the recycling potential of T. forsythia for NAM uptake with a bioorthogonal modification into its peptidoglycan, allowing for click-chemistry-based visualization of the cell wall structure. Additionally, we identified NAM recycling enzyme homologues in T. forsythia that are similar to the enzymes found in Pseudomonas putida. These homologues were then genetically transformed into a laboratory safe Escherichia coli strain, resulting in the efficient incorporation of unnatural NAM analogues into the peptidoglycan backbone and its visualization, alone or in the presence of human macrophages. This strain will be useful in further studies to probe NAM recycling and peptidoglycan scavenging pathways of T. forsythia and other cohabiting bacteria.

Automated summary

In this study, the recycling potential of Tannerella forsythia for NAM uptake was explored. By modifying the cell wall structure and incorporating NAM analogues, the visualization of peptidoglycan was achieved. Furthermore, homologues of NAM recycling enzymes were identified in T. forsythia and successfully transformed into Escherichia coli, providing a useful tool for studying NAM recycling and peptidoglycan scavenging pathways.