RESULTS: The results revealed a significant association between the putative CPS synthesis gene locus and the serological phenotype. Further characterization of the CPS gene clusters in 11 representative serovar strains indicated that they were highly diverse and serovar-specific. The CPS gene cluster contained the key genes wzx and wzy, which are involved in the Wzx/Wzy-dependent pathway of CPS synthesis. Similar CPS loci have been found in some other species within the family Weeksellaceae. We have also shown that deletion of the wzy gene in RA results in capsular defects and cross-agglutination.
CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that the CPS synthesis gene cluster of R. anatipestifer is a serotype-specific genetic locus. Importantly, our finding provides a new perspective for the systematic analysis of the genetic basis of the R anatipestifer serovars and a potential target for establishing a complete molecular serotyping scheme.
结果:结果显示推定的CPS合成基因位点与血清学表型之间存在显著关联。11个代表性血清变型菌株中CPS基因簇的进一步表征表明,它们具有高度多样性和血清变型特异性。CPS基因簇包含关键基因wzx和wzy,参与CPS合成的Wzx/Wzy依赖性途径。在Weeksellaceae家族的其他一些物种中也发现了类似的CPS基因座。我们还表明,RA中wzy基因的缺失会导致荚膜缺陷和交叉凝集。
结论:本研究表明,鼠尾草的CPS合成基因簇是血清型特异性遗传位点。重要的是,我们的发现为系统分析Ranatipestifer血清变型的遗传基础提供了新的视角,也为建立完整的分子血清分型方案提供了潜在的靶点.