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J. Bacteriol., 07 1996, 3736-3741, Vol 178, No. 13
MA Kolkman, DA Morrison, BA Van Der Zeijst and PJ Nuijten
To identify a chromosomal region of Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 14
involved in capsule polysaccharide synthesis, two strategies were used: (i)
Tn916 mutagenesis, followed by the characterization of four unencapsulated
mutants, and (ii) cross-hybridization with a capsule polysaccharide
synthesis gene (cps) probe from S. agalactiae, which has a structurally
similar capsule. The two approaches detected the same chromosomal region
consisting of two adjacent EcoRI fragments. One of these EcoRI fragments
was cloned and hybridized with a cosmid library. This resulted in clone
cMKO2. A similar cosmid clone was obtained from an unencapsulated Tn916
mutant, Spnl4.H. Sequence analysis of the two cosmid clones revealed that
in the Tn916 mutant, a gene, cps14E, which is homologous to other bacterial
genes encoding glycosyl transferases, had been inactivated. An open reading
frame immediately downstream of cps14E, designated cps14F, shows no
significant homology with any known genes or proteins. A functional assay
showed that cps14E encodes a glycosyl transferase and that a gene-specific
knockout mutant lacks this enzyme activity, whereas inactivation of cps14F
does not have this effect.
Copyright © 1996, American Society for Microbiology
The capsule polysaccharide synthesis locus of streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 14: Identification of the glycosyl transferase gene cps14E
Department of Bacteriology, Institute of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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