Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Bacterial Polysaccharide Capsules

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Prokaryotic Cell Wall Compounds

Abstract

A common feature of many bacteria is the expression of a layer of extracellular polysaccharide usually organised into a discrete structure termed the capsule. The expression of a capsule results in the coating of the bacterium in a hydrated shell of high molecular weight polysaccharide molecules that mediate interactions between the bacterial cell and its immediate environment. The ubiquity of capsule expression across a diverse array of bacterial genera suggests that capsule expression is advantageous in a number of scenarios including infections of plants and animals and maintenance in a broad range of ecosystems. In this chapter we discuss the roles of polysaccharide capsules in the biology of a number of bacterial species and describe how expression of capsule gene expression is achieved in a broad range of bacterial pathogens.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Areschoug T, Waldemarsson J, Gordon S (2008) Evasion of macrophage scavenger receptor A-mediated recognition by pathogenic streptococci. Eur J Immunol 38:3068–3079

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Arricau N, Hermant D, Waxin H, Ecobichon C, Duffey PS, Popoff MY (1998) The RcsB-RcsC regulatory system of Salmonella typhi differentially modulates the expression of invasion proteins, flagellin and Vi antigen in response to osmolarity. Mol Microbiol 29:835–850

    Google Scholar 

  • Bliss JM, Silver RP (1996) Coating the surface: a model for expression of capsular polysialic acid in Escherichia coli K1. Mol Microbiol 21:221–231

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Buchmeier N, Bossie S, Chen CY, Fang FC, Guiney DG, Libby SJ (1997) SlyA, a transcriptional regulator of Salmonella typhimurium, is required for resistance to oxidative stress and is expressed in the intracellular environment of macrophages. Infect Immun 65:3725–3730

    Google Scholar 

  • Burns SM, Hull SI (1998) Comparison of loss of serum resistance by defined lipopolysaccharide mutants and an acapsular mutant of uropathogenic Escherichia coli O75:K5. Infect Immun 66:4244–4253

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Burns SM, Hull SI (1999) Loss of resistance to ingestion and phagocytic killing by O(−) and K(−) mutants of a uropathogenic Escherichia coli O75:K5 strain. Infect Immun 67:3757–3762

    Google Scholar 

  • Carlin AF, Lewis AL, Varki A, Nizet V (2007) Group B streptococcal capsular sialic acids interact with siglecs (immunoglobulin-like lectins) on human leukocytes. J Bacteriol 189:1231–1237

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cieslewicz M, Vimr E (1996) Thermoregulation of kpsF, the first region 1 gene in the kps locus for polysialic acid biosynthesis in Escherichia coli K1. J Bacteriol 178:3212–3220

    Google Scholar 

  • Cisowska A, Jankowski S (2004) The sensitivity of Escherichia coli strains with K1 surface antigen and rods without this antigen to the bactericidal effect of serum. Folia Microbiol (Praha) 49:471–478

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Corbett D, Roberts IS (2008) Capsular polysaccharides in Escherichia coli. Adv Appl Microbiol 65:1–26

    Google Scholar 

  • Corbett D, Bennett H, Askar H, Green J, Roberts IS (2007) SlyA and H-NS regulate transcription of the Escherichia coli K5 capsule gene cluster and expression of slyA in Escherichia coli is temperature dependent, positively autoregulated and independent of H-NS. J Biol Chem 282:33326–33335

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cunnion KM, Lee JC, Frank MM (2001) Capsule production and growth phase influence binding of complement to Staphylococcus aureus. Infect Immun 69:6796–6803

    Google Scholar 

  • Cywes C, Wessels MR (2001) Group A Streptococcus tissue invasion by CD44-mediated cell signalling. Nature 414:648–652

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dalton TL, Scott JR (2004) CovS inactivates CovR and is required for growth under conditions of general stress in Streptococcus pyogenes. J Bacteriol 186:3928–3937

    Google Scholar 

  • Davey ME, Duncan MJ (2006) Enhanced biofilm formation and loss of capsule synthesis: Deletion of a putative glycosyltransferase in Porphyromonas gingivalis. J Bacteriol 188:5510–5523

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Deghmane AE, Taha MK (2003) The Neisseria meningitidis adhesion regulatory protein CrgA acts through oligomerization and interaction with RNA polymerase. Mol Microbiol 47:135–143

    Google Scholar 

  • Deghmane AE, Petit S, Topilko A, Pereira Y, Giorgini D, Larribe M, Taha MK (2000) Intimate adhesion of Neisseria meningitidis to human epithelial cells is under the control of the crgA gene, a novel LysR-type transcriptional regulator. EMBO J 19:1068–1078

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Deghmane AE, Giorgini D, Larribe M, Alonso JM, Taha MK (2002) Down-regulation of pili and capsule of Neisseria meningitidis upon contact with epithelial cells is mediated by CrgA regulatory protein. Mol Microbiol 43:1555–1564

    Google Scholar 

  • Deghmane AE, Giorgini D, Maigre L, Taha MK (2004) Analysis in vitro and in vivo of the transcriptional regulator CrgA of Neisseria meningitidis upon contact with target cells. Mol Microbiol 53:917–927

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • d'Empaire G, Baer MT, Gibson FC 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

    Google Scholar 

  • Dinkla K, Sastalla I, Godehardt AW, Janze N, Chhatwal GS, Rohde M, Medina E (2007) Upregulation of capsule enables Streptococcus pyogenes to evade immune recognition by antigen-specific antibodies directed to the G-related alpha2-macroglobulin-binding protein GRAB located on the bacterial surface. Microbes Infect 9:922–931

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dorman CJ (2007) H-NS, the genome sentinel. Nat Rev Microbiol 5:157–161

    Google Scholar 

  • Dougherty BA, van de Rijn I (1994) Molecular characterization of hasA from an operon required for hyaluronic acid synthesis in group A streptococci. J Biol Chem 269:169–175

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dubnau D, Losick R (2006) Bistability in bacteria. Mol Microbiol 61:564–572

    Google Scholar 

  • Edwards U, Muller A, Hammerschmidt S, Gerardy-Schahn R, Frosch M (1994) Molecular analysis of the biosynthesis pathway of the alpha-2, 8 polysialic acid capsule by Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B. Mol Microbiol 14:141–149

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ellison DW, Miller VL (2006) Regulation of virulence by members of the MarR/SlyA family. Curr Opin Microbiol 9:153–159

    Google Scholar 

  • Engelhorn M, Geiselmann J (1998) Maximal transcriptional activation by the IHF protein of Escherichia coli depends on optimal DNA bending by the activator. Mol Microbiol 30:431–441

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Erickson KD, Detweiler CS (2006) The Rcs phosphorelay system is specific to enteric pathogens/commensals and activates ydeI, a gene important for persistent Salmonella infection of mice. Mol Microbiol 62:883–894

    Google Scholar 

  • Fang FC, Rimsky S (2008) New insights into transcriptional regulation by H-NS. Curr Opin Microbiol 11:113–120

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Favre-Bonte S, Joly B, Forestier C (1999) Consequences of reduction of Klebsiella pneumoniae capsule expression on interactions of this bacterium with epithelial cells. Infect Immun 67:554–561

    Google Scholar 

  • Favre-Bonté S, Licht TR, Forestier C, Krogfelt KA (1999) Klebsiella pneumoniae capsule expression is necessary for colonization of large intestines of streptomycin-treated mice. Infect Immun 67:6152–6156

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Federle MJ, Scott JR (2002) Identification of binding sites for the group A Streptococcal global regulator CovR. Mol Microbiol 43:1161–1172

    Google Scholar 

  • Federle MJ, McIver KS, Scott JR (1999) A response regulator that represses transcription of several virulence operons in the group A streptococcus. J Bacteriol 181:3649–3657

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gao J, Gusa AA, Scott JR, Churchward G (2005) Binding of the global response regulator protein CovR to the sag promoter of Streptococcus pyogenes reveals a new mode of CovR-DNA interaction. J Biol Chem 280:38948–38956

    Google Scholar 

  • Geoffroy MC, Floquet S, Métais A, Nassif X, Pelicic V (2003) Large-scale analysis of the meningococcus genome by gene disruption: resistance to complement-mediated lysis. Genome Res 13:391–398

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Giammarinaro P, Paton JC (2002) Role of RegM, a homologue of the catabolite repressor protein CcpA, in the virulence of Streptococcus pneumoniae. Infect Immun 70:5454–5461

    Google Scholar 

  • Gottesman S, Stout V (1991) Regulation of capsular polysaccharide synthesis in Escherichia coli K12. Mol Microbiol 5:1599–1606

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Graham MR, Smoot LM, Migliaccio CA, Virtaneva K, Sturdevant DE, Porcella SF, Federle MJ, Adams GJ, Scott JR, Musser JM (2002) Virulence control in group A Streptococcus by a two-component gene regulatory system: global expression profiling and in vivo infection modeling. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 99:13855–13860

    Google Scholar 

  • Graveline R, Segura M, Radzioch D, Gottschalk M (2007) TLR2-dependent recognition of Streptococcus suis is modulated by the presence of capsular polysaccharide which modifies macrophage responsiveness. Int Immunol 19:375–389

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gusa AA, Gao J, Stringer V, Churchward G, Scott JR (2006) Phosphorylation of the group A Streptococcal CovR response regulator causes dimerization and promoter-specific recruitment by RNA polymerase. J Bacteriol 188:4620–4626

    Google Scholar 

  • Hammerschmidt S, Hilse R, van Putten JP, Gerardy-Schahn R, Unkmeir A, Frosch M (1996a) Modulation of cell surface sialic acid expression in Neisseria meningitidis via a transposable genetic element. EMBO J 15:192–198

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hammerschmidt S, Muller A, Sillmann H, Muhlenhoff M, Borrow R, Fox A, van Putten J, Zollinger WD, Gerardy-Schahn R, Frosch M (1996b) Capsule phase variation in Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B by slipped-strand mispairing in the polysialyltransferase gene (siaD): correlation with bacterial invasion and the outbreak of meningococcal disease. Mol Microbiol 20:1211–1220

    Google Scholar 

  • Hashimoto Y, Li N, Yokoyama H, Ezaki T (1993) Complete nucleotide sequence and molecular characterization of ViaB region encoding Vi antigen in Salmonella typhi. J Bacteriol 175:4456–4465

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hathaway LJ, Battig P, Muhlemann K (2007) In vitro expression of the first capsule gene of Streptococcus pneumoniae, cpsA, is associated with serotype-specific colonization prevalence and invasiveness. Microbiology 153:2465–2471

    Google Scholar 

  • Heath A, DiRita VJ, Barg NL, Engleberg NC (1999) A two-component regulatory system, CsrR-CsrS, represses expression of three Streptococcus pyogenes virulence factors, hyaluronic acid capsule, streptolysin S, and pyrogenic exotoxin B. Infect Immun 67:5298–5305

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Henrichsen J (1995) Six newly recognized types of Streptococcus pneumoniae. J Clin Microbiol 33:2759–2762

    Google Scholar 

  • Hérias MV, Midtvedt T, Hanson LA, Wold AE (1997) Escherichia coli K5 capsule expression enhances colonization of the large intestine in the gnotobiotic rat. Infect Immun 65:531–536

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Heroven AK, Nagel G, Tran HJ, Parr S, Dersch P (2004) RovA is autoregulated and antagonizes H-NS-mediated silencing of invasin and rovA expression in Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. Mol Microbiol 53:871–888

    Google Scholar 

  • Hinchliffe SJ, Howard SL, Huang YH, Clarke DJ, Wren BW (2008) The importance of the Rcs phosphorelay in the survival and pathogenesis of the enteropathogenic yersiniae. Microbiology 154:1117–1131

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hobbs M, Reeves PR (1994) The JUMPstart sequence: a 39 bp element common to several polysaccharide gene clusters. Mol Microbiol 12:855–856

    Google Scholar 

  • Ieva R, Alaimo C, Delany I, Spohn G, Rappuoli R, Scarlato V (2005) CrgA is an inducible LysR-type regulator of Neisseria meningitidis, acting both as a repressor and as an activator of gene transcription. J Bacteriol 187:3421–3430

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ikehara Y, Ikehara SK, Paulson JC (2004) Negative regulation of T cell receptor signaling by Siglec-7 (p70/AIRM) and Siglec-9. J Biol Chem 279:43117–43125

    Google Scholar 

  • Jarva H, Ram S, Vogel U, Blom AM, Meri S (2005) Binding of the complement inhibitor C4bp to serogroup B Neisseria meningitidis. J Immunol 174:6299–6307

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jayaratne P, Keenleyside WJ, MacLachlan PR, Dodgson C, Whitfield C (1993) Characterization of rcsB and rcsC from Escherichia coli O9:K30:H12 and examination of the role of the rcs regulatory system in expression of group I capsular polysaccharides. J Bacteriol 175:5384–5394

    Google Scholar 

  • Jennings HJ, Bhattacharjee AK, Bundle DR, Kenny CP, Martin A, Smith IC (1977) Strucutres of the capsular polysaccharides of Neisseria meningitidis as determined by 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. J Infect Dis 136(Suppl):S78–S83

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Keenleyside WJ, Bronner D, Jann K, Jann B, Whitfield C (1993) Coexpression of colanic acid and serotype-specific capsular polysaccharides in Escherichia coli strains with group II K antigens. J Bacteriol 175:6725–6730

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim JO, Weiser JN (1998) Association of intrastrain phase variation in quantity of capsular polysaccharide and teichoic acid with the virulence of Streptococcus pneumoniae. J Infect Dis 177:368–377

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kim KJ, Elliott SJ, Di Cello F, Stins MF, Kim KS (2003) The K1 capsule modulates trafficking of E. coli-containing vacuoles and enhances intracellular bacterial survival in human brain microvascular endothelial cells. Cell Microbiol 5:245–252

    Google Scholar 

  • Laubacher ME, Ades SE (2008) The Rcs phosphorelay is a cell envelope stress response activated by peptidoglycan stress and contributes to intrinsic antibiotic resistance. J Bacteriol 190:2065–2074

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lee FK, Morris C, Hackett J (2006) The Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi Vi capsule and self-association pili share controls on expression. FEMS Microbiol Lett 261:41–46

    Google Scholar 

  • LeMessurier KS, Ogunniyi AD, Paton JC (2006) Differential expression of key pneumococcal virulence genes in vivo. Microbiology 152:305–311

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Levin JC, Wessels MR (1998) Identification of csrR/csrS, a genetic locus that regulates hyaluronic acid capsule synthesis in group A Streptococcus. Mol Microbiol 30:209–219

    Google Scholar 

  • Libby SJ, Goebel W, Ludwig A, Buchmeier N, Bowe F, Fang FC, Guiney DG, Songer JG, Heffron F (1994) A cytolysin encoded by Salmonella is required for survival within macrophages. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 91:489–493

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lithgow JK, Haider F, Roberts IS, Green J (2007) Alternate SlyA and H-NS nucleoprotein complexes control hlyE expression in Escherichia coli K-12. Mol Microbiol 66:685–698

    Google Scholar 

  • Llull D, Garcia E, Lopez R (2001a) Tts, a processive beta-glucosyltransferase of Streptococcus pneumoniae, directs the synthesis of the branched type 37 capsular polysaccharide in Pneumococcus and other gram-positive species. J Biol Chem 276:21053–21061

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Llull D, Lopez R, Garcia E (2001b) Genetic bases and medical relevance of capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis in pathogenic streptococci. Curr Mol Med 1:475–491

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lopez-Torres AJ, Stout V (1996) Role of colanic acid polysaccharide in serum resistance in vivo and in adherence. Curr Microbiol 33:383–389

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lucchini S, Rowley G, Goldberg MD, Hurd D, Harrison M, Hinton JC (2006) H-NS mediates the silencing of laterally acquired genes in bacteria. PLoS Pathog 8:e81

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mazmanian SK, Round JL, Kasper DL (2008) A microbial symbiosis factor prevents intestinal inflammatory disease. Nature 453:620–625

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Miller AA, Engleberg NC, DiRita VJ (2001) Repression of virulence genes by phosphorylation-dependent oligomerization of CsrR at target promoters in S. pyogenes. Mol Microbiol 40:976–990

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Morona JK, Paton JC, Miller DC, Morona R (2000) Tyrosine phosphorylation of CpsD negatively regulates capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis in Streptococcus pneumoniae. Mol Microbiol 35:1431–1442

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Morona JK, Morona R, Miller DC, Paton JC (2002) Streptococcus pneumoniae capsule biosynthesis protein CpsB is a novel manganese-dependent phosphotyrosine-protein phosphatase. J Bacteriol 184:577–583

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Morona JK, Morona R, Miller DC, Paton JC (2003) Mutational analysis of the carboxy-terminal (YGX)4 repeat domain of CpsD, an autophosphorylating tyrosine kinase required for capsule biosynthesis in Streptococcus pneumoniae. J Bacteriol 185:3009–3019

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Morona JK, Morona R, Paton JC (2006) Attachment of capsular polysaccharide to the cell wall of Streptococcus pneumoniae type 2 is required for invasive disease. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 103:8505–8510

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Moscoso M, García E, López R (2006) Biofilm formation by Streptococcus pneumoniae: role of choline, extracellular DNA, and capsular polysaccharide in microbial accretion. J Bacteriol 188:7785–7795

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nakhamchik A, Wilde C, Rowe-Magnus DA (2008) Cyclic-di-GMP regulates extracellular polysaccharide production, biofilm formation, and rugose colony development by Vibrio vulnificus. Appl Environ Microbiol 74:3068–3079

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Navarre WW, Halsey TA, Walthers D, Frye J, McClelland M, Potter JL, Kenney LJ, Gunn JS, Fang FC, Libby SJ (2005) Co-regulation of Salmonella enterica genes required for virulence and resistance to antimicrobial peptides by SlyA and PhoP/PhoQ. Mol Microbiol 56:492–508

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Navarre WW, Porwollik S, Wang Y, McClelland M, Rosen H, Libby SJ, Fang FC (2006) Selective silencing of foreign DNA with low GC content by the H-NS protein in Salmonella. Science 313:236–238

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Neeleman C, Geelen SP, Aerts PC, Daha MR, Mollnes TE, Roord JJ, Posthuma G, van Dijk H, Fleer A (1999) Resistance to both complement activation and phagocytosis in type 3 pneumococci is mediated by the binding of complement regulatory protein factor H. Infect Immun 67:4517–4524

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nelson AL, Roche AM, Gould JM, Chim K, Ratner AJ, Weiser JN (2007) Capsule enhances pneumococcal colonization by limiting mucus-mediated clearance. Infect Immun 75:83–90

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nicoll G, Avril T, Lock K, Furukawa K, Bovin N, Crocker PR (2003) Ganglioside GD3 expression on target cells can modulate NK cell cytotoxicity via siglec-7-dependent and -independent mechanisms. Eur J Imunol 33:1642–1648

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nieto JM, Bailey MJ, Hughes C, Koronakis V (1996) Suppression of transcription polarity in the Escherichia coli haemolysin operon by a short upstream element shared by polysaccharide and DNA transfer determinants. Mol Microbiol 19:705–713

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ophir T, Gutnick DL (1994) A role for exopolysaccharides in the protection of microorganisms from desiccation. Appl Environ Microbiol 60:740–745

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pangburn MK, Atkinson MA, Meri S (1991) Localization of the heparin-binding site on complement factor H. J Biol Chem 266:16847–16853

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Perez JC, Latifi T, Groisman EA (2008) Overcoming H-NS-mediated transcriptional silencing of horizontally acquired genes by the PhoP and SlyA proteins in Salmonella enterica. J Biol Chem 283:10773–10783

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Petit C, Rigg GP, Pazzani C, Smith A, Sieberth V, Stevens M, Boulnois G, Jann K, Roberts IS (1995) Region 2 of the Escherichia coli K5 capsule gene cluster encoding proteins for the biosynthesis of the K5 polysaccharide. Mol Microbiol 17:611–620

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pickard D, Li JL, Roberts M, Maskell D, Hone D, Levine M, Dougan G, Chatfield S (1994) Characterization of defined ompR mutants of Salmonella typhi: ompR is involved in the regulation of Vi polysaccharide expression. Infect Immun 62:3984–3993

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pluschke G, Mayden J, Achtman M, Levine RP (1983) Role of the capsule and the O antigen in resistance of O18:K1 Escherichia coli to complement-mediated killing. Infect Immun 42:907–913

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Raffatellu M, Chessa D, Wilson RP, Dusold R, Rubino S, Bäumler AJ (2005) The Vi capsular antigen of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi reduces Toll-like receptor-dependent interleukin-8 expression in the intestinal mucosa. Infect Immun 73:3367–3374

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Raffatellu M, Chessa D, Wilson RP, Tükel C, Akçelik M, Bäumler AJ (2006) Capsule-mediated immune evasion: a new hypothesis explaining aspects of typhoid fever pathogenesis. Infect Immun 74:19–27

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Raffatellu M, Santos RL, Chessa D, Wilson RP, Winter SE, Rossetti CA, Lawhon SD, Chu H, Lau T, Bevins CL, Adams LG, Bäumler AJ (2007) The capsule encoding the viaB locus reduces interleukin-17 expression and mucosal innate responses in the bovine intestinal mucosa during infection with Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi. Infect Immun 75:4342–4350

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rahn A, Whitfield C (2003) Transcriptional organization and regulation of the Escherichia coli K30 group 1 capsule biosynthesis (cps) gene cluster. Mol Microbiol 47:1045–1060

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts IS (1996) The biochemistry and genetics of capsular polysaccharide production in bacteria. Annu Rev Microbiol 50:285–315

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rowe S, Hodson N, Griffiths G, Roberts IS (2000) Regulation of the Escherichia coli K5 capsule gene cluster: evidence for the roles of H-NS, BipA, and integration host factor in regulation of group 2 capsule gene clusters in pathogenic E. coli. J Bacteriol 182:2741–2745

    Google Scholar 

  • Santander J, Wanda SY, Nickerson CA, Curtiss R III (2007) Role of RpoS in fine-tuning the synthesis of Vi capsular polysaccharide in Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi. Infect Immun 75:1382–1392

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schembri MA, Dalsgaard D, Klemm P (2004) Capsule shields the function of short bacterial adhesins. J Bacteriol 186:1249–57

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Simpson DA, Hammarton TC, Roberts IS (1996) Transcriptional organization and regulation of expression of region 1 of the Escherichia coli K5 capsule gene cluster. J Bacteriol 178:6466–6474

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sledjeski DD, Gottesman S (1996) Osmotic shock induction of capsule synthesis in Escherichia coli K-12. J Bacteriol 178:1204–1206

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Smith AN, Boulnois GJ, Roberts IS (1990) Molecular analysis of the Escherichia coli K5 kps locus: identification and characterization of an inner-membrane capsular polysaccharide transport system. Mol Microbiol 4:1863–1869

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Soell M, Diab M, Haan-Archipoff G, Beretz A, Herbelin C, Poutrel B, Klein JP (1995) Capsular polysaccharide types 5 and 8 of Staphylococcus aureus bind specifically to human epithelial (KB) cells, endothelial cells, and monocytes and induce release of cytokines. Infect Immun 63:1380–1386

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Spinosa MR, Progida C, Talà A, Cogli L, Alifano P, Bucci C (2007) The Neisseria meningitidis capsule is important for intracellular survival in human cells. Infect Immun 75:3594–3603

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Spory A, Bosserhoff A, von Rhein C, Goebel W, Ludwig A (2002) Differential regulation of multiple proteins of Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium by the transcriptional regulator SlyA. J Bacteriol 184:3549–3559

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stapleton MR, Norte VA, Read RC, Green J (2002) Interaction of the Salmonella typhimurium transcription and virulence factor SlyA with target DNA and identification of members of the SlyA regulon. J Biol Chem 277:17630–17637

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stevens MP, Clarke BR, Roberts IS (1997) Regulation of the Escherichia coli K5 capsule gene cluster by transcription antitermination. Mol Microbiol 24:1001–1012

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Szu SC, Li XR, Stone AL, Robbins JB (1991) Relation between structure and immunologic properties of the Vi capsular polysaccharide. Infect Immun 59:4555–4561

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Uria MJ, Zhang Q, Li Y, Chan A, Exley RM, Gollan B, Chan H, Feavers I, Yarwood A, Abad R, Borrow R, Fleck RA, Mulloy B, Vazquez JA, Tang CM (2008) A generic mechanism in Neisseria meningitidis for enhanced resistance against bactericidal antibodies. J Exp Med 205:1423–1434

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Valle J, Da Re S, Henry N, Fontaine T, Balestrino D, Latour-Lambert P, Ghigo JM (2006) Broad-spectrum biofilm inhibition by a secreted bacterial polysaccharide. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 103:12558–12563

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Virlogeux I, Waxin H, Ecobichon C, Popoff MY (1995) Role of the viaB locus in synthesis, transport and expression of Salmonella typhi Vi antigen. Microbiology 141:3039–3047

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Virlogeux I, Waxin H, Ecobichon C, Lee JO, Popoff MY (1996) Characterization of the rcsA and rcsB genes from Salmonella typhi: rcsB through tviA is involved in regulation of Vi antigen synthesis. J Bacteriol 178:1691–1698

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vogel U, Hammerschmidt S, Frosch M (1996) Sialic acids of both the capsule and the sialylated lipooligosaccharide of Neisseria meningitis serogroup B are prerequisites for virulence of meningococci in the infant rat. Med Microbiol Immunol 185:81–87

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vogel U, Weinberger A, Frank R, Müller A, Köhl J, Atkinson JP, Frosch M (1997) Complement factor C3 deposition and serum resistance in isogenic capsule and lipooligosaccharide sialic acid mutants of serogroup B Neisseria meningitidis. Infect Immun 65:4022–4029

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Von Loewenich FD, Wintermeyer E, Dumig M, Frosch M (2001) Analysis of transcriptional control mechanisms of capsule expression in Neisseria meningitidis. Int J Med Microbiol 291:361–369

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waite RD, Struthers JK, Dowson CG (2001) Spontaneous sequence duplication within an open reading frame of the pneumococcal type 3 capsule locus causes high-frequency phase variation. Mol Microbiol 42:1223–1232

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Waite RD, Penfold DW, Struthers JK, Dowson CG (2003) Spontaneous sequence duplications within capsule genes cap8E and tts control phase variation in Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes 8 and 37. Microbiology 149:497–504

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Waxin H, Virlogeux I, Kolyva S, Popoff MY (1993) Identification of six open reading frames in the Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica ser. Typhi viaB locus involved in Vi antigen production. Res Microbiol 144:363–371

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wehland M, Bernhard F (2000) The RcsAB box. Characterization of a new operator essential for the regulation of exopolysaccharide biosynthesis in enteric bacteria. J Biol Chem 275:7013–7020

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Weiser JN, Austrian R, Sreenivasan PK, Masure HR (1994) Phase variation in pneumococcal opacity: relationship between colonial morphology and nasopharyngeal colonization. Infect Immun 62:2582–2589

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Weiser JN, Bae D, Epino H, Gordon SB, Kapoor M, Zenewicz LA, hchepetov M (2001) Changes in availability of oxygen accentuate differences in capsular polysaccharide expression by phenotypic variants and clinical isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae. Infect Immun 69:5430–5439

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Whitfield C (2006) Biosynthesis and assembly of capsular polysaccharides in Escherichia coli. Annu Rev Biochem 75:39–68

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Whitfield C, Roberts IS (1999) Structure, assembly and regulation of expression of capsules in Escherichia coli. Mol Microbiol 31:1307–1319

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wooster DG, Maruvada R, Blom AM, Prasadarao NV (2006) Logarithmic phase Escherichia coli K1 efficiently avoids serum killing by promoting C4bp-mediated C3b and C4b degradation. Immunology 117:482–493

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Xue P, Corbett D, Goldrick M, Naylor C, Roberts IS (2009) Regulation of expression of the region 3 promoter of the Escherichia coli K5 capsule gene cluster involves H-NS, SlyA, and a large 5′ untranslated region. J Bacteriol 191:1838–1844

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yavuz E, Drouillard S, Roberts IS, Samain E, Priem B (2008) Glucuronylation in Escherichia coli for the bacterial synthesis of non-sulphated HNK-1 analogs. Glycobiology 18:152–157

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yip ES, Grublesky BT, Hussa EA, Visick KL (2005) A novel, conserved cluster of genes promotes symbiotic colonization and sigma-dependent biofilm formation by Vibrio fischeri. Mol Microbiol 57:1485–1498

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK

    Ian S. Roberts

Authors
  1. David Corbett
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Thomas Hudson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ian S. Roberts
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ian S. Roberts .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Inst. Mikrobiologie und, Universität Mainz, Becherweg 15, Mainz, 55099, Germany

    Helmut König

  2. Inst. Mikrobiologie und, Universität Mainz, Becherweg 15, Mainz, 55099, Germany

    Harald Claus

  3. Amity Institute of Microbial Sciences, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida, 201303, India

    Ajit Varma

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Corbett, D., Hudson, T., Roberts, I.S. (2010). Bacterial Polysaccharide Capsules. In: König, H., Claus, H., Varma, A. (eds) Prokaryotic Cell Wall Compounds. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-05062-6_3

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation