Tannerella forsythia is an oral pathogen causing chronic periodontitis. It forms polymicrobial subgingival plaque biofilm along with Porphyromonas gingivalis and Treponema denticola.
S-layer helps T. forsythia in adhesion/invasion to human gingival epithelial cells and to epidermal carcinoma cells of the mouth. The host immune response to this pathogen is attenuated by the S-layer after immune evasion.
Glycosylation Status
Glycosylation Type
O- (Ser/Thr) linked
Experimentally Validated Glycosite(s) in Full Length Protein
Until now, T. Forsythia is the only known Gram-negative bacterium that is covered with a glycosylated S-layer, with, again uniquely, two S-layer glycoproteins being simultaneously present.
Department of NanoBiotechnology, NanoGlycobiology, Vienna Institute of BioTechnology, Universität für Bodenkultur Wien, Muthgasse 11, A-1190 Vienna, Austria.