Skip to main content
bioRxiv
  • Home
  • About
  • Submit
  • ALERTS / RSS
Advanced Search
New Results

Hemagglutination by B. fragilis is mediated by capsular polysaccharides and is influenced by host ABO blood type

View ORCID ProfileKathleen L. Arnolds, Nancy Moreno-Huizar, Maggie A. Stanislawski, Brent Palmer, Catherine Lozupone
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.08.19.258442
Kathleen L. Arnolds
aDepartment of Microbiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Kathleen L. Arnolds
  • For correspondence: k.l.arnolds@gmail.com
Nancy Moreno-Huizar
bDepartment of Computer Science, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO, USA
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Maggie A. Stanislawski
cDepartment of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Brent Palmer
cDepartment of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Catherine Lozupone
cDepartment of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Abstract
  • Full Text
  • Info/History
  • Metrics
  • Preview PDF
Loading

Abstract

Bacterial hemagglutination of red blood cells (RBCs) is mediated by interactions between bacterial cell components and RBC envelope glycans that vary across individuals by ABO blood type. ABO glycans are also expressed on intestinal epithelial cells and in most individuals secreted into the intestinal mucosa, indicating that hemagglutination by bacteria may be informative about bacteria-host interactions in the intestine. Bacteroides fragilis, a prominent member of the human gut microbiota, can hemagglutinate RBCs by an unknown mechanism. Using a novel technology for quantifying bacterial hemagglutination, genetic knockout strains of B. fragilis and blocking antiserums, we demonstrate that the capsular polysaccharides of B. fragilis, polysaccharide B (PSB), and PSC are both strong hemagglutinins. Furthermore, the capacity of B. fragilis to hemagglutinate was much stronger in individuals with Type O blood compared to Types A and B, an adaptation that could impact the capacity of B. fragilis to colonize and thrive in the host.

Importance Statement This study found that the human pathobiont, B. fragilis, hemagglutinates human red blood cells using specific capsular polysaccharides (PSB and PSC) which are known to be important for interacting with and influencing host immune responses. Because the factors found on red blood cells are also abundantly expressed on other tissues and in the mucous, the ability to hemagglutinate sheds light on interactions between bacteria and host throughout the body. Intriguingly, the strength of hemagglutination varied based on the ABO blood type of the host, a finding which could have implications for understanding if an individual’s blood type may influence interactions with B. fragilis and its potential as a pathogen versus a commensal.

Footnotes

  • catherine.lozupone{at}cuanschutz.edu

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
Back to top
PreviousNext
Posted August 21, 2020.
Download PDF
Email

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word about bioRxiv.

NOTE: Your email address is requested solely to identify you as the sender of this article.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Hemagglutination by B. fragilis is mediated by capsular polysaccharides and is influenced by host ABO blood type
(Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from bioRxiv
(Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from the bioRxiv website.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Share
Hemagglutination by B. fragilis is mediated by capsular polysaccharides and is influenced by host ABO blood type
Kathleen L. Arnolds, Nancy Moreno-Huizar, Maggie A. Stanislawski, Brent Palmer, Catherine Lozupone
bioRxiv 2020.08.19.258442; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.08.19.258442
Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
Citation Tools
Hemagglutination by B. fragilis is mediated by capsular polysaccharides and is influenced by host ABO blood type
Kathleen L. Arnolds, Nancy Moreno-Huizar, Maggie A. Stanislawski, Brent Palmer, Catherine Lozupone
bioRxiv 2020.08.19.258442; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.08.19.258442

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Subject Area

  • Microbiology
Subject Areas
All Articles
  • Animal Behavior and Cognition (2441)
  • Biochemistry (4807)
  • Bioengineering (3342)
  • Bioinformatics (14730)
  • Biophysics (6664)
  • Cancer Biology (5194)
  • Cell Biology (7459)
  • Clinical Trials (138)
  • Developmental Biology (4388)
  • Ecology (6906)
  • Epidemiology (2057)
  • Evolutionary Biology (9948)
  • Genetics (7360)
  • Genomics (9555)
  • Immunology (4589)
  • Microbiology (12740)
  • Molecular Biology (4968)
  • Neuroscience (28450)
  • Paleontology (199)
  • Pathology (811)
  • Pharmacology and Toxicology (1400)
  • Physiology (2034)
  • Plant Biology (4528)
  • Scientific Communication and Education (981)
  • Synthetic Biology (1307)
  • Systems Biology (3923)
  • Zoology (731)