Mucosal surfaces are colonized by highly diverse commensal microbiota. Coating with secretory IgA (SIgA) promotes the survival of commensal bacteria while it inhibits the invasion by pathogens. Bacterial coating could be mediated by antigen-specific SIgA recognition, polyreactivity, and/or by the SIgA-associated glycans. In contrast to many in vitro studies, only a few reported the effect of SIgA glycans in vivo. Here, we used a germ-free antibody-free newborn piglets model to compare the protective effect of SIgA, SIgA with enzymatically removed N-glycans, Fab, and Fc containing the secretory component (Fc-SC) during oral necrotoxigenic E. coli O55 challenge. SIgA, Fab, and Fc-SC were protective, whereas removal of N-glycans from SIgA reduced SIgA-mediated protection as demonstrated by piglets' intestinal histology, clinical status, and survival. In vitro analyses indicated that deglycosylation of SIgA did not reduce agglutination of E. coli O55. These findings highlight the role of SIgA-associated N-glycans in protection. Further structural studies of SIgA-associated glycans would lead to the identification of those involved in the species-specific inhibition of attachment to corresponding epithelial cells.

Department of Clinical and Molecular Pathology Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry Palacky University Olomouc Olomouc Czech Republic

Department of Immunology Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry Palacky University Olomouc Olomouc Czech Republic

Department of Microbiology University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham AL USA

Department of Surgery University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham AL USA

Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences Prague Czech Republic

Laboratory of Gnotobiology Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences Novy Hradek Czech Republic

Laboratory of Immunotherapy Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences Prague Czech Republic

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