In pathogens that produce lipooligosaccharide (LOS), sugar residues within the surface-exposed LOS outer core mediate interactions with components of the host immune system, promoting bacterial infection. Many LOS structures are controlled by phase variation mediated by random slipped-strand base mispairing, which can reversibly switch gene expression on or off. Phase variation diversifies the LOS, however its adaptive role is not well-understood. Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is an important pathogen that causes a range of illnesses in the upper and lower respiratory tract. In NTHi a phase variable galactosyltransferase encoded by lic2A initiates galactose chain extension of the LOS outer core. The donor substrate for Lic2A, UDP-galactose, is generated from UDP-glucose by UDP-galactose epimerase encoded by galE . Our previous fitness profiling of H. influenzae mutants in a murine lung model showed that the galE mutant had a severe survival defect, while the lic2A mutant's defect was modest, leading us to postulate that unidentified factors act as suppressors of potential defects in a lic2A mutant. Herein we conducted a genome-wide genetic interaction screen to identify genes epistatic on lic2A for survival in the murine lung. An unexpected finding was that galE mutants exhibited restored virulence properties in a lic2A mutant background. We identified an alternative antibody epitope generated by Lic2A in the galE mutant that increased sensitivity to classical complement mediated killing in human serum. Deletion of lic2A or restoration of UDP-galactose synthesis alleviated the galE mutant's virulence defects. These studies indicate that when deprived of its galactosyl substrate, Lic2A acquires an alternative activity leading to increased recognition of NTHi by IgM and decreased survival in the lung model. Biofilm formation was increased by deletion of galE and by increased availability of UDP-GlcNAc precursors that can compete with UDP-galactose production. NTHi's ability to reversibly inactivate lic2A by phase-variation may influence survival in niches of infection in which UDP-Galactose levels are limiting.

Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) efficiently colonizes the human nasopharynx asymptomatically but also causes respiratory mucosal infections, including otitis media, sinusitis, and bronchitis. The lipooligosaccharide (LOS) on the cell surface of NTHi displays complex glycans that mimic host structures, allowing it to evade immune recognition. However, LOS glycans are also targets of host adaptive and innate responses. To aid in evasion of these responses, LOS structures exhibit interstrain heterogeneity and are also subject to phase variation, the random on/off switching of gene expression, generating intrastrain population diversity. Specific LOS modifications, including terminal sialylation of the LOS, which exploits host-derived sialic acid (Neu5Ac), can also block recognition of NTHi by bactericidal IgM and complement by mechanisms that are not fully understood. We investigated the LOS sialic acid-mediated resistance of NTHi to antibody-directed killing by serum complement. We identified specific LOS structures extending from heptose III that are targets for binding by naturally occurring bactericidal IgM in serum and are protected by sialylation of the LOS. Phase-variable galactosyltransferases encoded by lic2A and lgtC each add a galactose epitope bound by IgM that results in antibody-dependent killing via the classical pathway of complement. NTHi’s survival can be influenced by the expression of phase-variable structures on the LOS that may also depend on environmental conditions, such as the availability of free sialic acid. Identification of surface structures on NTHi representing potential targets for antibody-based therapies as alternatives to antibiotic treatment would thus be valuable for this medically important pathogen.

Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi), a common inhabitant of the human nasopharynx and upper airways, causes opportunistic respiratory tract infections that are frequently recurring and chronic. NTHi utilizes sialic acid from the host to evade antibacterial defenses and persist in mucosal tissues, however the role of sialic acid scavenged by NTHi during infection is not fully understood. We previously showed that sialylation protects specific epitopes on NTHi lipooligosaccharide (LOS) targeted by bactericidal IgM in normal human serum. Here, we evaluated the importance of immune evasion mediated by LOS sialylation in the mouse respiratory tract using wild-type H. influenzae and an isogenic siaB mutant incapable of sialylating the LOS. Sialylation protected common NTHi glycan structures recognized by human and murine IgM, and protected NTHi from complement-mediated killing directed by IgM against these structures. Protection from IgM binding by sialylated LOS correlated with decreased survival of the siaB mutant versus wild-type in the murine lung. Complement depletion with cobra venom factor increased survival of the siaB mutant in the nasopharynx but not in the lungs, suggesting differing roles of sialylation at these sites. Prior infection increased IgM against H. influenzae but not against sialic acid-protected epitopes, consistent with sialic acid-mediated immune evasion during infection. These results provide mechanistic insight into an NTHi evasive strategy against an immune defense conserved across host species, highlighting the potential of the mouse model for development of anti-infective strategies targeting LOS antigens of NTHi.

Streptococcus pneumoniae is among the top causes of bacterial endophthalmitis, an infectious disease of the intraocular fluids. The mechanisms by which S. pneumoniae grows and thrives in the intraocular cavity are not well understood. We used a bacterial genome-wide assessment tool (transposon insertion site sequencing) to determine genes essential for S. pneumoniae growth in vitreous humor. The results indicated that an ascorbic acid (AA) transport system subunit was important for growth. We created an isogenic gene deletion mutant of the AA transcriptional activator, ulaR2, in 2 strains of S. pneumoniae. Growth curve analysis indicated that ulaR2 deletion caused attenuated growth in vitro for both strains. However, in vivo vitreous humor infection in rabbits with either strain determined that ulaR2 was necessary for growth in one strain but not the other. These results demonstrate that ulaR2 may be important for fitness during S. pneumoniae endophthalmitis depending on the background of the strain.