Publications
Protein science : a publication of the Protein SocietyNov 2025 |
34
(
11
),
e70343
DOI:
10.1002/pro.70343

Biological and structural characterization of the Type 3 fimbrial subunit MrkA from Klebsiella pneumoniae

Monaci, Valentina; Oldrini, Davide; Gasperini, Gianmarco; Banci, Lucia; Cantini, Francesca; Micoli, Francesca
Product Used
Genes
Abstract
Klebsiella pneumoniae is a Gram-negative opportunistic pathogen responsible for a wide range of community-associated and hospital-acquired infections and a major cause of neonatal sepsis in low- and middle-income countries. The pathogen's surface fimbriae, particularly the Type 3 fimbriae, are critical for bacterial adhesion, biofilm formation, and host defense evasion. MrkA, the pathogen's major Type 3 fimbrial subunit, has a structural function in fimbrial assembly, but its three-dimensional structure remains to be fully elucidated. In this study, we utilized solution-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to elucidate the structure of MrkA, leveraging previously reported chemical shift assignments of a designed self-complementing monomeric protein. Additionally, we confirmed the ability of monoclonal antibodies, capable of recognizing MrkA oligomers on wild-type Klebsiella bacteria, to bind the recombinant MrkA protein. Our findings contribute to the evaluation of MrkA as a potential target in vaccine development against Klebsiella pneumoniae infections.
Product Used
Genes

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