The consortium was led by Yoshiyuki GOTO and Hiroshi KIYONO of the University of Tokyo. The mechanism is based on the expression of fucosyl transferase by intestinal epithelial cells triggered by intestinal bacteria. Disruption of intestinal fucosylation resulted in higher susceptibility to infection by Salmonella typhimurium.
JST news release, August 22, 2014
Tokyo University-led consortium discovers novel defense mechanism against intestinal pathogenic bacteria