title: The modality of enterobacterial common antigen polysaccharide chain lengths is regulated by o349 of the wec gene cluster of Escherichia coli K-12.
abstract: The assembly of the phosphoglyceride-linked form of enterobacterial common antigen (ECA(PG)) occurs by a mechanism that involves modulation of polysaccharide chain length. However, the genetic determinant of this modulation has not been identified. Site-directed mutagenesis of o349 of the Escherichia coli K-12 wec gene cluster revealed that this locus encodes a Wzz protein that specifically modulates the chain length of ECA(PG) polysaccharides, and we have designated this locus wzz(ECA). The Wzz(ECA)-mediated modulation of ECA(PG) polysaccharide chains is the first demonstrated example of Wzz regulation involving a polysaccharide that is not linked to the core-lipid A structure of lipopolysaccharide.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland 20814-4799, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Barr
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Klena
authors.forename: P D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Rick
mesh_terms: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D004755:Enterobacteriaceae / Q000276:immunology*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics*; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006017:Glycolipids / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology; D005810:Multigene Family; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology; D015183:Restriction Mapping
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D006017:Glycolipids; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial; C017286:enterobacterial common antigen