title: Molecular and genetic characterization of the capsule biosynthesis locus of Streptococcus pneumoniae type 23F.
abstract: The authors have previously reported the nucleotide sequence of the 5' and 3' portions of the Streptococcus pneumoniae type 23F capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis locus (cps23f) (from dexB to cps23fB and from cps23fL to aliA). These regions of cps23f were very similar to the sequence reported for cps19f, the capsule locus of S. pneumoniae type 19F. However, Southern hybridization analysis indicated that no other genes closely related to cps19f are present in the cps23f locus. In this study long-range PCR was used to amplify and clone the section of the S. pneumoniae type 23F capsule locus between cps23fB and cps23fL. This region is 13 kb in size and contains 12 new ORFs, designated cps23fC-E, I, J, and T-Z. Functions are proposed for all of the protein products, including functional homologues of Cps19fC-E, Cps19fI and Cps19fJ. A biosynthetic pathway for type 23F capsular polysaccharide is also proposed.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Microbiology Unit, Women's and Children's Hospital, North Adelaide, South Australia 5006, Australia.
authors.forename: Judy K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Morona
authors.affiliation: Molecular Microbiology Unit, Women's and Children's Hospital, North Adelaide, South Australia 5006, Australia.
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Trust Centre for the Epidemiology of Infectious Disease, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK.
authors.forename: Tracey J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Coffey
authors.affiliation: Molecular Microbiology Unit, Women's and Children's Hospital, North Adelaide, South Australia 5006, Australia.
authors.forename: Christofer J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Vindurampulle
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Trust Centre for the Epidemiology of Infectious Disease, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK.
authors.forename: Brian G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Spratt
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia.
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Morona
authors.affiliation: Molecular Microbiology Unit, Women's and Children's Hospital, North Adelaide, South Australia 5006, Australia.
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Paton
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D016667:Bacterial Capsules / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D020161:Physical Chromosome Mapping; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism