Natural variation of the streptococcal Group A carbohydrate biosynthesis genes impacts host-pathogen interaction.

ABSTRACT: Streptococcus pyogenes (S. pyogenes) is a leading cause of infection-related mortality in humans globally. The characteristic cell wall-anchored Group A Carbohydrate (GAC) is expressed by all S. pyogenes strains and consists of a polyrhamnose backbone with alternating N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) side chains, of which 25% are decorated with glycerol phosphate (GroP). The genes in the gacA-L cluster are critical for GAC biosynthesis with gacH-L being responsible for the characteristic GlcNAc-GroP decoration, which confers the agglutination in rapid test diagnostic assays and contributes to S. pyogenes pathogenicity. Historical research papers described S. pyogenes isolates, so-called A-variant strains, that lost the characteristic GlcN

SUBMITTER: Schipper K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11580967 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature