Modified heptose synthesis in the Campylobacter jejuni capsule and its involvement in virulence
Campylobacter jejuni is the leading cause of gastroenteritis.Infections are endemic in developing countries and the emergence of antibiotic resistant isolates in developed countries underline the requirement for new therapeutic targets. C. jejuni possesses a capsule, which is important in conferring virulence. The capsule of some C.jejuni species contains unusual modified heptoses. The genes cjl427c, cj1428c and cj1430c putatively encode enzymes involved in modifying heptose. We hypothesize that modified heptoses play a role in virulence in host- pathogen interactions, and have constructed and phenotypically characterized a . X ■' cjl427
C. jejuni, enteritis, Capsular polysaccharide (CPS), modified heptoses
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