N-glycosylated proteins and distinct lipooligosaccharide glycoforms of Campylobacter jejuni target the human C-type lectin receptor MGL.

An increasing number of bacterial pathogens produce an array of glycoproteins of unknown function. Here we report that Campylobacter jejuni proteins that are modified by the N-linked glycosylation machinery encoded by the pgl locus bind the human Macrophage Galactose-type lectin (MGL). MGL receptor binding was abrogated by EDTA and N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) and was successfully transferred to Escherichia coli by introducing the C. jejuni pgl locus together with a glycan acceptor protein. In addition to glycoproteins, C. jejuni lipooligosaccharide with a terminal GalNAc residue was recognized by MGL. Recombinant E. coli expressing the C. jejuni pgl locus in the absence of a suitable glycan acceptor protein produced altered lipopolysaccharide glycoforms that gained MGL reactivity. Infection assays demonstrated high levels of GalNAc-dependent interaction of the recombinant E. coli with MGL-transfected mammalian cells. In addition, interleukin-6 production by human dendritic cells was enhanced by C. jejuni lacking N-linked glycans compared with wild-type bacteria. Collectively, our results provide evidence that both N-linked glycoproteins and distinct lipooligosaccharide glycoforms of C. jejuni are ligands for the human C-type lectin MGL and that the C. jejuni N-glycosylation machinery can be exploited to target recombinant bacteria to MGL-expressing eukaryotic cells.