Intestinal epithelial cell surface glycoconjugates and gut microbial adhesins

The interaction between intestinal epithelial cell surface glycoconjugates and gut microbial adhesins represents a critical biological interface for both commensal colonization and pathogen invasion. Intestinal glycoconjugates, including glycoproteins and glycolipids, serve as specific docking sites for microbial adhesins, which are specialized surface proteins such as fimbriae or lectins (NCBI, 2022). This binding is the initial and essential step in the colonization of the gastrointestinal tract by both beneficial and harmful bacteria (PubMed, 2021). In pathological states like Crohn's disease, certain bacteria such as Adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC) exploit these glycoconjugates, specifically CEACAM6, to trigger inflammatory cascades (Nature Reviews Microbiology, 2020). Therapeutic strategies, known as anti-adhesion therapies, utilize small molecule inhibitors like Sibofimloc or glycan mimetics to competitively block these interactions. By preventing pathogen attachment, these drugs aim to reduce infection and inflammation without the selective pressure for resistance associated with traditional antibiotics (Enterome, 2023).

Other names

Host-microbe adhesion interfaceGut glycan-adhesin interactionMicrobial-epithelial attachment siteBacterial adhesin-host receptor complex

Competitive inhibition of microbial adhesins to prevent attachment to host epithelial glycoconjugates