N-glycosylated intestinal protein BCF-1 shapes microbial colonization by binding bacteria via its fimbrial protein
Yongjuan He,
Fanrui Hao,
Herui Fu,
Guojing Tian,
Yingyang Zhang,
Kai Fu,
Bin Qi
Affiliations
Yongjuan He
Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Bio-resources in Yunnan, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
Fanrui Hao
Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Bio-resources in Yunnan, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
Herui Fu
Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Bio-resources in Yunnan, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
Guojing Tian
Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Bio-resources in Yunnan, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
Yingyang Zhang
Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Bio-resources in Yunnan, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
Kai Fu
Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Bio-resources in Yunnan, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
Bin Qi
Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Bio-resources in Yunnan, Yunnan University, Kunming, China; Corresponding author
Summary: Microbial colonization plays an instrumental role in the health of the host. However, the host factors that facilitate the establishment of the microbial colonization remain unclear. Here, we establish a screening method to identify host factors regulating E. coli colonization in C. elegans. We find that a BCF-1 possessing N-glycosylation promotes E. coli colonization by directly binding to E. coli via its fimbrial protein, YdeR. BCF-1 is activated by the bacteria and interacts with an oligosaccharyl transferase, OSTB-1, which is critical for regulating E. coli colonization. We also show that the N-glycosylation of BCF-1 is critical for E. coli colonization. In addition, we find that the microbiota composition is shaped by BCF-1. In summary, this study shows a “scaffold model” for bacterial colonization between a host glycoprotein and E. coli, and it also introduces a powerful research approach to identify individual host factors involved in modulating bacterial colonization.