Profiling protein expression in Klebsiella pneumoniae with a carbohydrate-based covalent probe

We report the application of a covalent probe based on a D-glucosamine scaffold for the profiling of the bacterial pathogen Klebsiella pneumoniae. Incubation of K. pneumoniae lysates with the probe followed by electrophoretic separation and in-gel fluorescence detection allowed the generation of strain-specific signatures and the differentiation of a carbapenem-resistant strain. The labelling profile of the probe was independent of its anomeric configuration and included several low-abundance proteins not readily detectable by conventional protein staining. Initial target identification experiments by mass spectrometry suggest that target proteins include several carbohydrate-recognising proteins, which indicates that the sugar scaffold may have a role for target recognition.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates the application of a covalent probe based on a D-glucosamine scaffold for profiling bacterial pathogen Klebsiella pneumoniae, generating strain-specific signatures and differentiating a carbapenem-resistant strain. The probe's labeling profile includes low-abundance proteins not easily detected by conventional methods, and initial target identification suggests a role for carbohydrate-recognising proteins in target recognition.