Enzymatic attachment of antigens to probe immune modulation by skin commensals
The skin colonist Staphylococcus epidermidis induces potent T and B cell responses, which can be redirected against antigens of interest by genetic engineering. However, since many taxa in the microbiome are genetically intractable, the utility of this method is limited. Here, we use recombinant sortase to conjugate antigens to the surface of a wide range of Gram-positive bacterial species, and we show that this non-genetic method can be used to generate protective immunity in vivo.
Authors
- Katherine D. Bauman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1154-8189)
- Pranav V. Lalgudi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1653-2338)
- Michael Andrew Fischbach (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3079-8247)
- Djenet Bousbaine (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2683-9544)
- Joyce M. Swenson
- Miki L. Chiang
- Aishan Zhao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9010-7981)
- Eunice Tsang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-1007-9252)
- Anchaleena James
- Masahiko Terasaki
- Anne Trinh
- Tam T.D. Nguyen
Institutions
- Stanford University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
- Published
- 2026-11-03
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.10.31.763323
- Primary Topic
- Biochemical and Structural Characterization
- Type
- preprint