Lactate promotes invasive Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess syndrome by increasing capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis via the PTS-CRP axis

Junying Zhu, Guangyu Wang, Wei Xi, Zhen Shen, Qing Wei, Xiaoqiong Fang and Min Li ()
Additional contact information
Junying Zhu: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Guangyu Wang: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Wei Xi: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Zhen Shen: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Qing Wei: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Xiaoqiong Fang: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Min Li: Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: Abstract The global incidence of invasive Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess syndrome (IKPLAS) increases, yet its underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive, hindering the development of effective therapeutic strategies. In this study, we analyze bacterial molecular profiles and clinical data from patients with KPLA and IKPLAS, and find no significant difference in the molecular characteristics of K. pneumoniae between the two groups, however, we identify elevated blood lactate levels as an independent predictor of IKPLAS. Further investigation reveals that lactate enhances K. pneumoniae virulence by promoting capsular polysaccharide (CPS) biosynthesis. Mechanistically, lactate reduces cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels by downregulating the expression of mannose-specific phosphotransferase system (man-PTS) enzyme IIA-D genes (gfrA, gfrB, gfrC and gfrD). This reduction in cAMP levels enhances CPS biosynthesis by decreasing its binding to the cAMP receptor protein (CRP). Our results highlight lactate’s role in enhancing the virulence of K. pneumoniae via the PTS-CRP axis, offering insights into the pathogenesis of IKPLAS.

Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-61379-9 Abstract (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-61379-9

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-61379-9

Access Statistics for this article

Nature Communications is currently edited by Nathalie Le Bot, Enda Bergin and Fiona Gillespie

More articles in Nature Communications from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().