Sequence elements upstream of the core promoter are necessary for full transcription of the capsule gene operon in Streptococcus pneumoniae strain D39

Infection and Immunity
Zhensong WenJing-Ren Zhang

Abstract

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major bacterial pathogen in humans. Its polysaccharide capsule is a key virulence factor that promotes bacterial evasion of human phagocytic killing. While S. pneumoniae produces at least 94 antigenically different types of capsule, the genes for biosynthesis of almost all capsular types are arranged in the same locus. The transcription of the capsular polysaccharide (cps) locus is not well understood. This study determined the transcriptional features of the cps locus in the type 2 virulent strain D39. The initial analysis revealed that the cps genes are cotranscribed from a major transcription start site at the -25 nucleotide (G) upstream of cps2A, the first gene in the locus. Using unmarked chromosomal truncations and a luciferase-based transcriptional reporter, we showed that the full transcription of the cps genes not only depends on the core promoter immediately upstream of cps2A, but also requires additional elements upstream of the core promoter, particularly a 59-bp sequence immediately upstream of the core promoter. Unmarked deletions of these promoter elements in the D39 genome also led to significant reduction in CPS production and virulence in mice. Lastly, common cps gene (cps2ABCD) m...Continue Reading

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Citations

Sep 27, 2019·Frontiers in Microbiology·Moses B AyoolaBindu Nanduri
Jan 9, 2019·Journal of Bacteriology·Jing-Wen LiJing-Ren Zhang
Dec 19, 2020·FEMS Microbiology Reviews·Tong SuLok-To Sham
Apr 4, 2021·Molecular Microbiology·Chengwang ZhangJing-Ren Zhang
Apr 13, 2019·Microbiology Spectrum·James C Paton, Claudia Trappetti

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