title: Region II of the Haemophilus influenzae type be capsulation locus is involved in serotype-specific polysaccharide synthesis.
abstract: The central (serotype-specific) Region II of the Haemophilus influenzae Type b capsulation locus cap is 8.3 kb long and contains a cluster of four genes. We show that these genes, designated orf1 to orf4, are involved in the biosynthetic steps required for the formation of the Type b capsular polysaccharide and that orf1 probably encodes a CDP-ribitolpyrophosphorylase. We present evidence that growth of polysaccharide chains takes place through the alternating addition of single sugar nucleotides.
authors.affiliation: Rega Institute for Medical Research, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Van Eldere
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Brophy
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Loynds
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Celis
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hancock
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Carman
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kroll
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Moxon
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D016667:Bacterial Capsules / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D015342:DNA Probes / Q000235:genetics; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000235:genetics; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006193:Haemophilus influenzae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D009702:Nucleoside Diphosphate Sugars / Q000378:metabolism; D009713:Nucleotidyltransferases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016366:Open Reading Frames / Q000235:genetics; D012703:Serotyping
chemical_list: D015342:DNA Probes; D009702:Nucleoside Diphosphate Sugars; C100069:cytidine diphosphate ribitol; D009713:Nucleotidyltransferases; C032634:D-ribitol-5-phosphate cytidylyltransferase