Lipopolysaccharides nanodiscs, a biomimetic platform to study bacterial surface

Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) are essential components of the outer membranes of Gram-negative bacteria, playing a crucial role in antimicrobial resistance, virulence, and the host’s immune response. Self-assembled particles displaying LPS are essential for biophysical studies addressing the behavior of bacterial surfaces under specific biomimetic conditions. Styrene-maleic acid (SMA) copolymers were employed to form LPS nanodiscs, either from extracted LPS or directly from purified outer membranes. These nanodiscs, derived from pathogenic O157:H7 or laboratory E. coli strains, are well-defined in size and yield high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra. They have been successfully used to investigate molecular recognition by a human C-type Lectin Receptor (CLR) of the immune system and interaction with polymyxin antibiotics using various biophysical methods. This study high-lights the significance of LPS nanodiscs as bacterial surface mimetics and opens promising avenues for further research into LPS structure and interactions. The ability to generate well-defined LPS nanodiscs offers a powerful tool for studying the molecular mechanisms underlying bacterial pathogenesis and immune response.