Unravelling the specificity and mechanism of sialic acid recognition by the gut symbiont Ruminococcus gnavus

The mucus layer is an important physical niche within the gut which harbours a distinct microbial community. Here the authors show that specific carbohydrate-binding modules associated with bacterial carbohydrate-active enzymes are mucus adhesins that target regions of the distal colon rich in sialomucins.