Capsular polysaccharide production in Enterococcus faecalis and contribution of CpsF to capsule serospecificity.

ABSTRACT: Many bacterial species produce capsular polysaccharides that contribute to pathogenesis through evasion of the host innate immune system. The gram-positive pathogen Enterococcus faecalis was previously reported to produce one of four capsule serotypes (A, B, C, or D). Previous studies describing the four capsule serotypes of E. faecalis were based on immunodetection methods; however, the underlying genetics of capsule production did not fully support these findings. Previously, it was shown that capsule production for serotype C (Maekawa type 2) was dependent on the presence of nine open reading frames (cpsC to cpsK). Using a novel genetic system, we demonstrated that seven of the nine genes in the cps operon are essential for capsule production, indicating that serotypes A and B do not ma

SUBMITTER: Thurlow LR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2753019 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature