Capsule Mediates the Cell Shape of pcsB Mutants in Serotype 2 Streptococcus pneumoniae

ABSTRACT: PcsB is a protein of unknown function that plays a critical role in cell division in Streptococcus pneumoniae and other ovococcus species of Streptococcus. We constructed isogenic sets of mutants expressing different amounts of PcsB in laboratory strain R6 and virulent serotype 2 strain D39 to evaluate its cellular roles. Insertion mutagenesis in parent and pcsB+ merodiploid strains indicated that pcsB is essential in serotype 2 S. pneumoniae. Quantitative Western blotting of wild-type and epitope-tagged PcsB showed that all PcsB was processed into cell-associated and secreted forms of the same molecular mass. These analyses showed that PcsB bound to cells is present in relatively low amounts of only ≈ 300 molecules per cell. Controlled expression and complementation experiments indicate

ORGANISM(S): Streptococcus pneumoniae

SUBMITTER: Skye Barendt 

PROVIDER: E-GEOD-13107 | biostudies-arrayexpress |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-arrayexpress