The role of Akkermansia muciniphila sulfatases in colonic mucinutilisation

Akkermansia muciniphila, an obligate mucin degrader, is a major member of the human colonic microbiota and has been associated positive health outcomes. Mucins are complex glycoproteins that contain heavily sulfated O-glycans and form the protective colonic mucus layer. Bacterial carbohydrate sulfatases are required to metabolise these heavily sulfated mucin glycans and excessive bacterial foraging has been associated with several diseases. Sulfatases have been linked with inflammatory bowel disease, making these microbiota enzymes potential drug targets. A. muciniphila expresses carbohydrate sulfatases that can act on colonic mucins yet their roles in its metabolism remain opaque. Our data reveal that A. muciniphila requires glycopeptides/protein forms of colonic mucin for metabolism and its sulfatases have unique adaptations compared to Bacteroides species. Localisation studies reveal that desulfation of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, but not D-galactose, is exclusively periplasmic. A cell surface sulfatase has a novel carbohydrate binding module that binds to colonic mucin. This paints a contrasting picture of sulfated mucin metabolism by Akkermansia muciniphila versus Bacteroides species. These data will be important for understanding the contexts for Akkermansia muciniphilas positive health correlations.