Bacterial glycan

Bacterial glycans are complex carbohydrate structures, including peptidoglycan, lipopolysaccharides (LPS), and capsular polysaccharides, that constitute a major portion of the bacterial cell envelope (NCBI, 2021). These molecules are essential for maintaining the structural integrity of the cell, providing protection against osmotic stress, and mediating interactions with the host environment (Nature Reviews Microbiology, 2018). In pathogenic bacteria, glycans often serve as virulence factors by facilitating adhesion to host tissues and providing a shield against the host's immune system, such as inhibiting phagocytosis (Frontiers in Immunology, 2020). Because many bacterial glycan structures are unique to microbes and absent in humans, they are ideal targets for therapeutic intervention. For instance, glycopeptide antibiotics like vancomycin target peptidoglycan synthesis to kill bacteria, while polymyxins target the LPS of Gram-negative bacteria to disrupt their outer membranes (Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2017). Furthermore, bacterial glycans are the primary components of glycoconjugate vaccines, which train the immune system to recognize and eliminate specific bacterial serotypes (Vaccine, 2019). However, the diversity and high mutation rates of these glycans can lead to challenges such as antibiotic resistance and vaccine escape (Microbiology Society, 2021).

Other names

Bacterial polysaccharideMicrobial glycanCell wall polysaccharideCapsular polysaccharideLipopolysaccharidePeptidoglycan

Drugs targeting bacterial glycans typically work by inhibiting the biosynthesis of the cell wall (e.g., glycopeptides binding to peptidoglycan precursors), physically disrupting the outer membrane through binding to lipopolysaccharides (e.g., polymyxins), or serving as antigens in vaccines to induce opsonizing antibodies that facilitate bacterial clearance by the immune system (PubMed, 2017; Nature, 2019; CDC, 2023).