Group B Streptococcus cpsE Is Required for Serotype V Capsule Production and Aids in Biofilm Formation and Ascending Infection of the Reproductive Tract during Pregnancy.

ABSTRACT: Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is an encapsulated Gram-positive pathogen that causes ascending infections of the reproductive tract during pregnancy. The capsule of this organism is a critical virulence factor that has been implicated in a variety of cellular processes to promote pathogenesis. Primarily comprised of carbohydrates, the GBS capsule and its synthesis is driven by the capsule polysaccharide synthesis (cps) operon. The cpsE gene within this operon encodes a putative glycosyltransferase that is responsible for the transfer of a Glc-1-P from UDP-Glc to an undecaprenyl lipid molecule. We hypothesized that the cpsE gene product is important for GBS virulence and ascending infection during pregnancy. Our work demonstrates that a GBS c

SUBMITTER: Noble K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8588567 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature