Dataset Information

The rcsA gene of Escherichia coli O9:K30:H12 is involved in the expression of the serotype-specific group I K (capsular) antigen.

ABSTRACT: Escherichia coli produces two distinct types of capsular polysaccharide (designated groups I and II), which are distinguished by chemical, physical, and genetic characteristics. The K30 capsular antigen is a member of the group I, or heat-stable, capsules. We have cloned rcsA from E. coli O9:K30 and determined the nucleotide sequence. The rcsAK30 sequence is virtually identical to the rcsAK-12 sequence (V. Stout, A. Torres-Cabassa, M. R. Maurizi, D. Gutnick, and S. Gottesman, J. Bacteriol. 173:1738-1747, 1991). RcsAK-12 is a transcriptional activator involved in expression of the extracellular polysaccharide colanic acid in E. coli K-12. rcsAK30 complemented an rcsAK-12 mutation and activated colanic acid synthesis in E. coli K-12 strains. However, in E. coli K30, increasing the levels of RcsA by introducing multicopy rcsAK30 or a Lon mutation resulted in elevated synthesis of the K30 capsular polysaccharide; no colanic acid was detected. E. coli K-12 strains in which the chromosomal his region was replaced by that from E. coli K30 were able to synthesize K30 capsular polysaccharide. These K-12/K30 hybrid strains did not produce colanic acid, suggesting that the genes for synthesis of colanic acid and the K30 capsular polysaccharide may be allelic. rcsA sequences were also detected in the group II strains E. coli K1 and K5. Introduction of rcsAK30 into group II strains resulted in activation of colanic acid biosynthesis rather than the group II capsule. Given the role of RcsA in other members of the family Enterobacteriaceae, our results provide further evidence that this protein may be a relatively widespread regulatory component for the synthesis of enterobacterial extracellular polysaccharides.

SUBMITTER: Keenleyside WJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC205669 | biostudies-other | 1992 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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The rcsA gene of Escherichia coli O9:K30:H12 is involved in the expression of the serotype-specific group I K (capsular) antigen.

Keenleyside W J WJ Jayaratne P P MacLachlan P R PR Whitfield C C

Journal of bacteriology 19920101 1

Escherichia coli produces two distinct types of capsular polysaccharide (designated groups I and II), which are distinguished by chemical, physical, and genetic characteristics. The K30 capsular antigen is a member of the group I, or heat-stable, capsules. We have cloned rcsA from E. coli O9:K30 and determined the nucleotide sequence. The rcsAK30 sequence is virtually identical to the rcsAK-12 sequence (V. Stout, A. Torres-Cabassa, M. R. Maurizi, D. Gutnick, and S. Gottesman, J. Bacteriol. 173:1 ...[more]

PMID: 1729226

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Project description:In Escherichia coli K-12, RcsC and RcsB are thought to act as the sensor and effector components, respectively, of a two-component regulatory system which regulates expression of the slime polysaccharide colanic acid (V. Stout and S. Gottesman, J. Bacteriol. 172:659-669, 1990). Here, we report the cloning and DNA sequence of a 4.3-kb region containing rcsC and rcsB from E. coli O9:K30:H12. This strain does not produce colanic acid but does synthesize a K30 (group I) capsular polysaccharide. The rcsB gene from E. coli K30 (rcsBK30) is identical to the rcsB gene from E. coli K-12 (rcsBK-12). rcsCK30 has 16 nucleotide changes, resulting in six amino acid changes in the predicted protein. To examine the function of the rcs regulatory system in expression of the K30 capsular polysaccharide, chromosomal insertion mutations were constructed in E. coli O9:K30:H12 to independently inactivate rcsBK30 and the auxiliary positive regulator rcsAK30. Strains with these mutations maintained wild-type levels of K30 capsular polysaccharide expression and still produced a K30 capsule, indicating that the rcs system is not essential for expression of low levels of the group I capsular polysaccharide in lon+ E. coli K30. However, K30 synthesis is increased by introduction of a multicopy plasmid carrying rcsBK30. K30 polysaccharide expression is also markedly elevated in an rcsBK30-dependent fashion by a mutation in rcsCK30, suggesting that the rcs system is involved in high levels of synthesis. To determine whether the involvement of the rcs system in E. coli K30 expression is typical of group I (K antigen) capsules, multicopy rcsBK30 was introduced into 22 additional strains with structurally different group I capsules. All showed an increase in mucoid phenotype, and the polysaccharides produced in the presence and absence of multicopy rcsBK30 were examined. It is has been suggested that E. coli strains with group I capsules can be subdivided based on K antigen structure. For the first time, we show that strains with group I capsules can also be subdivided by the ability to produce colanic acid. Group IA contains capsular polysaccharides (including K30) with repeating-unit structures lacking amino sugars, and expression of group IA capsular polysaccharides is increased by multicopy rcsBK30. Group IB capsular polysaccharides all contain amino sugars. In group IB strains, multicopy rcsBK30 activates synthesis of colanic acid.

Project description:A DNA region involved in Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serotype 5 capsular polysaccharide (CP) biosynthesis was identified and characterized by using a probe specific for the cpxD gene involved in CP export. The adjacent serotype 5-specific CP biosynthesis region was cloned from a 5.8-kb BamHI fragment and an 8.0-kb EcoRI fragment of strain J45 genomic DNA. DNA sequence analysis demonstrated that this region contained four complete open reading frames, cps5A, cps5B, cps5C, and cps5D. Cps5A, Cps5B, and Cps5C showed low homology with several bacterial glycosyltransferases involved in the biosynthesis of lipopolysaccharide or CP. However, Cps5D had high homology with KdsA proteins (3-deoxy-D-manno-2-octulosonic acid 8-phosphate synthetase) from other gram-negative bacteria. The G+C content of cps5ABC was substantially lower (28%) than that of cps5D and the rest of the A. pleuropneumoniae chromosome (42%). A 2.1-kb deletion spanning the cloned cps5ABC open reading frames was constructed and transferred into the J45 chromosome by homologous recombination with a kanamycin resistance cassette to produce mutant J45-100. Multiplex PCR confirmed the deletion in this region of J45-100 DNA. J45-100 did not produce intracellular or extracellular CP, indicating that cps5A, cps5B, and/or cps5C were involved in CP biosynthesis. However, biosynthesis of the Apx toxins, lipopolysaccharide, and membrane proteins was unaffected by the mutation. Besides lack of CP biosynthesis, and in contrast to J45, J45-100 grew faster, was sensitive to killing in precolostral calf serum, and was avirulent in pigs at an intratracheal challenge dose three times the 50% lethal dose (LD50) of strain J45. At six times the J45 LD50, J45-100 caused mild to moderate lung lesions but not death. Electroporation of cps5ABC into A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 1 strain 4074 generated strain 4074(pJMLCPS5), which expressed both serotype 1 and serotype 5 CP. However, serotype 1 capsule expression was diminished in 4074(pJMLCPS5) in comparison to 4074. The recombinant strain produced significantly less total CP (serotypes 1 and 5 CP combined) in log phase (P = 0.0012) but significantly more total CP in late stationary phase than 4074 (P < 0.0001). In addition, strain 4074(pJMLCPS5) caused less mortality and bacteremia in pigs and mice following respiratory challenge than strain 4074, indicating that virulence was affected by diminished capsule production. These results emphasize the importance of CP in the serum resistance and virulence of A. pleuropneumoniae.

Project description:We performed culture-based and PCR-based tests for pneumococcal identification and serotyping from carriage specimens collected in rural and urban Kenya. Nasopharyngeal specimens from 237 healthy children <5 years old (C-NPs) and combined nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal specimens from 158 adults (A-NP/OPs, 118 HIV-positive) were assessed using pneumococcal isolation (following broth culture enrichment) with Quellung-based serotyping, real-time lytA-PCR, and conventional multiplexed PCR-serotyping (cmPCR). Culture-based testing from C-NPs, HIV-positive A-NP/OPs, and HIV-negative A-NP/OPs revealed 85.2%, 40.7%, and 12.5% pneumococcal carriage, respectively. In contrast, cmPCR serotypes were found in 93.2%, 98.3%, and 95.0% of these sets, respectively. Two of 16 lytA-negative C-NPs and 26 of 28 lytA-negative A-NP/OPs were cmPCR-positive for 1-10 serotypes (sts) or serogroups (sgs). A-NP/OPs averaged 5.5 cmPCR serotypes/serogroups (5.2 in HIV-positive, 7.1 in HIV-negative) and C-NPs averaged 1.5 cmPCR serotypes/serogroups. cmPCR serotypes/serogroups from lytA-negative A-NP/OPs included st2, st4, sg7F/7A, sg9N/9L, st10A, sg10F/10C/33C, st13, st17F, sg18C/18A/18B/18F, sg22F/22A, and st39. Nine strains of three non-pneumococcal species (S. oralis, S. mitis, and S. parasanguinis) (7 from A-OP, 1 from both A-NP and A-OP, and 1 from C-NP) were each cmPCR-positive for one of 7 serotypes/serogroups (st5, st13, sg15A/15F, sg10F/10C/33C, sg33F/33A/37, sg18C/18A/18B/18F, sg12F/12A/12B/ 44/46) with amplicons revealing 83.6-99.7% sequence identity to pneumococcal references. In total, 150 cmPCR amplicons from carriage specimens were sequenced, including 25 from lytA-negative specimens. Amplicon sequences derived from specimens yielding a pneumococcal isolate with the corresponding serotype were identical or highly conserved (>98.7%) with the reference cmPCR amplicon for the st, while cmPCR amplicons from lytA-negative specimens were generally more divergent. Separate testing of 56 A-OPs and 56 A-NPs revealed that ?94% of the positive cmPCR results from A-NP/OPs were from OP microbiota. In contrast, A-NPs yielded >2-fold more pneumococcal isolates than A-OPs. Verified and suspected non-pneumococcal cmPCR serotypes/serogroups appeared to be relatively rare in C-NPs and A-NPs compared to A-OPs. Our findings indicate that non-pneumococcal species can confound serotype-specific PCR and other sequence-based assays due to evolutionarily conserved genes most likely involved in biosynthesis of surface polysaccharide structures.

Project description:The rfbO9 gene cluster, which is responsible for the synthesis of the lipopolysaccharide O9 antigen, was cloned from Escherichia coli O9:K30. The gnd gene, encoding 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, was identified adjacent to the rfbO9 cluster, and by DNA sequence analysis the gene order gnd-rfbM-rfbK was established. This order differs from that described for other members of the family Enterobacteriaceae. Nucleotide sequence analysis was used to identify the rfbK and rfbM genes, encoding phosphomannomutase and GDP-mannose pyrophosphorylase, respectively. In members of the family Enterobacteriaceae, these enzymes act sequentially to form GDP-mannose, which serves as the activated sugar nucleotide precursor for mannose residues in cell surface polysaccharides. In the E. coli O9:K30 strain, a duplicated rfbM2-rfbK2 region was detected approximately 3 kbp downstream of rfbM1-rfbK1 and adjacent to the remaining genes of the rfbO9 cluster. The rfbM isogenes differed in upstream flanking DNA but were otherwise highly conserved. In contrast, the rfbK isogenes differed in downstream flanking DNA and in 3'-terminal regions, resulting in slight differences in the sizes of the predicted RfbK proteins. RfbMO9 and RfbKO9 are most closely related to CpsB and CpsG, respectively. These are isozymes of GDP-mannose pyrophosphorylase and phosphomannomutase, respectively, which are thought to be involved in the biosynthesis of the slime polysaccharide colanic acid in E. coli K-12 and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. An E. coli O-:K30 mutant, strain CWG44, lacks rfbM2-rfbK2 and has adjacent essential rfbO9 sequences deleted. The remaining chromosomal genes are therefore sufficient for GDP-mannose formation and K30 capsular polysaccharide synthesis. A mutant of E. coli CWG44, strain CWG152, was found to lack GDP-mannose pyrophosphorylase and lost the ability to synthesize K30 capsular polysaccharide. Wild-type capsular polysaccharide could be restored in CWG152, by transformation with plasmids containing either rfbM1 or rfbM2. Introduction of a complete rfbO9 gene cluster into CWG152 restored synthesis of both O9 and K30 polysaccharides. Consequently, rfbM is sufficient for the biosynthesis of GDP-mannose for both O antigen and capsular polysaccharide E. coli O9:K30. Analysis of a collection of serotype O8 and O9 isolates by Southern hybridization and PCR amplification experiments demonstrated extensive polymorphism in the rfbM-rfbK region.

Dataset Information

The rcsA gene of Escherichia coli O9:K30:H12 is involved in the expression of the serotype-specific group I K (capsular) antigen.

Publications

The rcsA gene of Escherichia coli O9:K30:H12 is involved in the expression of the serotype-specific group I K (capsular) antigen.

Similar Datasets

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