Cytophaga hutchinsonii
is a Gram-negative bacterium belonging to the phylum
Bacteroidetes
. It digests crystalline cellulose with an unknown mechanism, and possesses a type IX secretion system (T9SS) that can recognize the C-terminal domain (CTD) of the cargo protein as a signal. In this study, the functions of CTD in the secretion and localization of T9SS substrates in
C. hutchinsonii
were studied by fusing the green fluorescent protein (GFP) with CTD from CHU_2708. CTD is necessary for the secretion of GFP by
C. hutchinsonii
T9SS. The GFP-CTD
CHU_2708
fusion protein was found to be glycosylated in the periplasm with a molecular mass about 5 kDa higher than that predicted from its sequence. The glycosylated protein was sensitive to peptide-
N
-glycosidase F which can hydrolyze
N
-linked oligosaccharides. Analyses of mutants obtained by site-directed mutagenesis of asparagine residues in the N-X-S/T motif of CTD
CHU_2708
suggest that
N
-glycosylation occurred on the CTD. CTD
N-
glycosylation is important for the secretion and localization of GFP-CTD recombinant proteins in
C. hutchinsonii
. Glycosyltransferase encoding gene
chu_3842
, a homologous gene of
Campylobacter jejuni
pglA
, was found to participate in the
N
-glycosylation of
C. hutchinsonii
. Deletion of
chu_3842
affected cell motility, cellulose degradation, and cell resistance to some chemicals. Our study provided the evidence that CTD as the signal of T9SS was
N
-glycosylated in the periplasm of
C. hutchinsonii
.
IMPORTANCE
The bacterial
N
-glycosylation system has previously only been found in several species of
Proteobacteria
and
Campylobacterota
, and the role of
N
-linked glycans in bacteria is still not fully understood.
C. hutchinsonii
has a unique cell-contact cellulose degradation mechanism, and many cell surface proteins including cellulases are secreted by the T9SS. Here, we found that
C. hutchinsonii
, a member of the phylum
Bacteroidetes
, has an
N
-glycosylation system. Glycosyltransferase CHU_3842 was found to participate in the
N
-glycosylation of
C. hutchinsonii
proteins, and had effects on cell resistance to some chemicals, cell motility, and cellulose degradation. Moreover,
N
-glycosylation occurs on the CTD translocation signal of T9SS. The glycosylation of CTD apears to play an important role in affecting T9SS substrates transportation and localization. This study enriched our understanding of the widespread existence and multiple biological roles of
N
-glycosylation in bacteria.