Abstract 1629 Structural Characterization of Anti-Sigma Factors in Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron

Polysaccharides are a large source of carbon for the bacteria in the human gut microbiome including Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron (B. theta). Typically, B. theta targets polysaccharides from the human diet, however, in the absence of these substrates, B. theta utilizes mucin O-glycans made by human intestinal cells. While polysaccharide degradation by B.theta is beneficial to human health, degradation of intestinal mucins can make the host more susceptible to pathogenic infections. Therefore, we are interested in understanding the regulatory processes that direct various substrate degradation.