title: Genetic analysis of the capsular polysaccharide synthesis locus in 15 Streptococcus suis serotypes.
abstract: The capsular polysaccharide (CPS) synthesis locus of 13 Streptococcus suis serotypes (serotype 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 19, 23, 25 and 1/2) was sequenced and compared with that of serotype 2 and 16. The CPS synthesis locus of these 15 serotypes falls into two genetic groups. The locus is located on the chromosome between orfZ and aroA. All the translated proteins in the CPS synthesis locus were clustered into 127 homology groups using the tribemcl algorithm. The general organization of the locus suggested that the CPS of S. suis could be synthesized by the Wzy-dependent pathway. The capsule of serotypes 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 19 and 23 was predicted to be amino-polysaccharide. Sialic acid was predicted to be present in the capsule of serotypes 1, 2, 14, 16 and 1/2. The characteristics of the CPS synthesis locus suggest that some genes may have been imported into S. suis (or their ancestors) on multiple occasions from different and unknown sources.
authors.affiliation: Key Lab Animal Disease Diagnostic & Immunology, Ministry of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Kaicheng
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Weixing
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Lijuan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Baoxu
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Chengping
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D016667:Bacterial Capsules / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D017011:Streptococcus suis / Q000145:classification / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins