Transcriptional regulation of the capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis locus of streptococcus pneumoniae: a bioinformatic analysis.

ABSTRACT: The polysaccharide capsule of Streptococcus pneumoniae is the main virulence factor, which makes the bacterium resistant to phagocytosis. Expression of capsular polysaccharide must be adjusted at different stages of pneumococcal infection, thus, their transcriptional regulation appears to be crucial. To get insight into the existence of regulatory mechanisms common to most serotypes, a bioinformatic analysis of the DNA region located upstream of the capsular locus was performed. With the exception of serotype 37, the capsular locus is located between dexB and aliA on the pneumococcal chromosome. Up to 26 different sequence organizations were found among pneumococci synthesizing their capsule through a Wzy-polymerase-dependent mechanism, mostly varying according to the presence/absence of d

SUBMITTER: Moscoso M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2695774 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature