This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Aduse-Opoku, J.
Right arrow Articles by Curtis, M. A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Aduse-Opoku, J.
Right arrow Articles by Curtis, M. A.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Infection and Immunity, January 2006, p. 449-460, Vol. 74, No. 1
0019-9567/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.74.1.449-460.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Identification and Characterization of the Capsular Polysaccharide (K-Antigen) Locus of Porphyromonas gingivalis

Joseph Aduse-Opoku,1 Jennifer M. Slaney,1 Ahmed Hashim,1 Alexandra Gallagher,1 Robert P. Gallagher,1 Minnie Rangarajan,1 Khalil Boutaga,2 Marja L. Laine,2 Arie J. Van Winkelhoff,2 and Michael A. Curtis1*

MRC Molecular Pathogenesis Group, Centre for Infectious Disease, Institute of Cell and Molecular Science, Barts and the London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, 4 Newark Street, London E1 2AT, United Kingdom,1 Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), Department of Oral Microbiology, Universiteit van Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands2

Received 9 May 2005/ Returned for modification 16 June 2005/ Accepted 13 October 2005

Capsular polysaccharides of gram-negative bacteria play an important role in maintaining the structural integrity of the cell in hostile environments and, because of their diversity within a given species, can act as useful taxonomic aids. In order to characterize the genetic locus for capsule biosynthesis in the oral gram-negative bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis, we analyzed the genome of P. gingivalis W83 which revealed two candidate loci at PG0106-PG0120 and PG1135-PG1142 with sufficient coding capacity and appropriate gene functions based on comparisons with capsule-coding loci in other bacteria. Insertion and deletion mutants were prepared at PG0106-PG0120 in P. gingivalis W50—a K1 serotype. Deletion of PG0109-PG0118 and PG0116-PG0120 both yielded mutants which no longer reacted with antisera to K1 serotypes. Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the locus in strains representing all six K-antigen serotypes and K– strains demonstrated significant variation between serotypes and limited conservation within serotypes. In contrast, PG1135-PG1142 was highly conserved in this collection of strains. Sequence analysis of the capsule locus in strain 381 (K– strain) demonstrated synteny with the W83 locus but also significant differences including replacement of PG0109-PG0110 with three unique open reading frames, deletion of PG0112-PG0114, and an internal termination codon within PG0106, each of which could contribute to the absence of capsule expression in this strain. Analysis of the Arg-gingipains in the capsule mutants of strain W50 revealed no significant changes to the glycan modifications of these enzymes, which indicates that the glycosylation apparatus in P. gingivalis is independent of the capsule biosynthetic machinery.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: MRC Molecular Pathogenesis Group, Centre for Infectious Disease, Institute of Cell and Molecular Science, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, 4 Newark Street, London E1 2AT, United Kingdom. Phone: 44 (0)2078822300. Fax: 44 (0)2078822181. E-mail: m.a.curtis{at}qmul.ac.uk.

Editor: J. D. Clements

Infection and Immunity, January 2006, p. 449-460, Vol. 74, No. 1
0019-9567/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.74.1.449-460.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Igboin, C. O., Griffen, A. L., Leys, E. J. (2009). Porphyromonas gingivalis Strain Diversity. J. Clin. Microbiol. 47: 3073-3081 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Paramonov, N. A., Aduse-Opoku, J., Hashim, A., Rangarajan, M., Curtis, M. A. (2009). Structural Analysis of the Core Region of O-Lipopolysaccharide of Porphyromonas gingivalis from Mutants Defective in O-Antigen Ligase and O-Antigen Polymerase. J. Bacteriol. 191: 5272-5282 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Novak, K.F., Govindaswami, M., Ebersole, J.L., Schaden, W., House, N., Novak, M.J. (2008). Effects of Low-energy Shock Waves on Oral Bacteria. JDR 87: 928-931 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Naito, M., Hirakawa, H., Yamashita, A., Ohara, N., Shoji, M., Yukitake, H., Nakayama, K., Toh, H., Yoshimura, F., Kuhara, S., Hattori, M., Hayashi, T., Nakayama, K. (2008). Determination of the Genome Sequence of Porphyromonas gingivalis Strain ATCC 33277 and Genomic Comparison with Strain W83 Revealed Extensive Genome Rearrangements in P. gingivalis. DNA Res 15: 215-225 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Rangarajan, M., Aduse-Opoku, J., Paramonov, N., Hashim, A., Bostanci, N., Fraser, O. P., Tarelli, E., Curtis, M. A. (2008). Identification of a Second Lipopolysaccharide in Porphyromonas gingivalis W50. J. Bacteriol. 190: 2920-2932 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Coyne, M. J., Comstock, L. E. (2008). Niche-Specific Features of the Intestinal Bacteroidales. J. Bacteriol. 190: 736-742 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • d'Empaire, G., Baer, M. T., Gibson, F. C. III (2006). The K1 Serotype Capsular Polysaccharide of Porphyromonas gingivalis Elicits Chemokine Production from Murine Macrophages That Facilitates Cell Migration. Infect. Immun. 74: 6236-6243 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Slaney, J. M., Gallagher, A., Aduse-Opoku, J., Pell, K., Curtis, M. A. (2006). Mechanisms of Resistance of Porphyromonas gingivalis to Killing by Serum Complement. Infect. Immun. 74: 5352-5361 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Davey, M. E., Duncan, M. J. (2006). Enhanced Biofilm Formation and Loss of Capsule Synthesis: Deletion of a Putative Glycosyltransferase in Porphyromonas gingivalis.. J. Bacteriol. 188: 5510-5523 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»