Coxiella burnetii glycomics and proteomics--tools for linking structure to function

Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of Q fever, is an obligate intracellular bacterium and a highly infectious pathogen. The disease is a widespread zoonosis and is endemic throughout the world. An easy aerosol dissemination, environmental persistence, and high infectivity make the bacterium a serious threat for humans and animals. Lipopolysaccharide is considered one of the major factors of virulence expression and infection of the bacterium. Detailed glycomic studies enabled to better understand structural and functional peculiarities of this biopolymer and its role in pathogenesis and immunity of Q fever. Recent proteomic studies of C. burnetii have brought new approaches in accurate detection of the infectious agent and offered new insights into the inter- or intra-species relatedness. Thus, structure/function relationship studies are currently of utmost importance in the field. This paper will focus on glycomic and proteomic approaches providing information on unique glycan and protein species of the microorganism as the candidate molecules for the use in detection/diagnosis, therapy, and prophylaxis.