title: The O-antigen gene cluster of Shigella boydii O11 and functional identification of its wzy gene.
abstract: Shigella strains are human pathogens and their identification is usually based on their O-antigens. The O-antigen gene cluster of Shigella boydii O11 was sequenced. All the expected genes for the synthesis of the O-antigen were identified on the basis of homology and genes for the biosynthesis of dTDP-l-Rhamnose, genes encoding sugar transferases, as well as genes encoding O unit flippase (wzx) and O-antigen polymerase (wzy). The identity of the putative wzy gene was confirmed by showing that a wzy deficient mutant strain of S. boydii O11 produced a semi-rough LPS phenotype. The predicted wzx gene has an opposite transcription direction to that of all of the other genes in the S. boydii O11 O-antigen gene cluster. This unusual feature for the wzx gene has only previously been reported in S. boydii O6. Further comparison revealed an evolutionary relationship between O6 and O11 O-antigen gene clusters. Adjacent-gene PCR showed that Escherichia coli O105 and S. boydii O11, which share the identical O-antigen, also have the same genes and organization for their respective O-antigen gene clusters. Three genes specific for the S. boydii O11 and E. coli O105 gene clusters were identified.
authors.affiliation: TEDA School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, 23Hong Da Street, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, PR China.
authors.forename: Jiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Hongjie
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Yayue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D001482:Base Composition; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D017353:Gene Deletion; D023061:Gene Order; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D009702:Nucleoside Diphosphate Sugars / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D019081:O Antigens / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D049294:Phospholipid Transfer Proteins; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017385:Sequence Homology; D012761:Shigella boydii / Q000235:genetics*; D013942:Thymine Nucleotides / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009702:Nucleoside Diphosphate Sugars; D019081:O Antigens; D049294:Phospholipid Transfer Proteins; C117254:RfbX protein, Pseudomonas; D013942:Thymine Nucleotides; C073293:thymidine diphosphate rhamnose