García E, López R
Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain.
FEMS Microbiol Lett. 1997 Apr 1;149(1):1-10. doi: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1997.tb10300.x.
The polysaccharide capsule of Streptococcus pneumoniae is the main virulence factor of this microorganism. Although the study of the genes responsible for the synthesis of the pneumococcal capsule enabled genetic and molecular analysis, the precise structure, organization, and functioning of these genes have only been investigated very recently. The genes implicated in the production of the type 3 capsule have been sequenced, expressed and their corresponding products biochemically characterized. In addition, partial information on the genes responsible for the biosynthesis of the capsules of pneumococcal types 1, 14 or 19 F is currently available.
肺炎链球菌的多糖荚膜是该微生物的主要毒力因子。尽管对负责肺炎球菌荚膜合成的基因进行研究有助于进行遗传和分子分析，但这些基因的确切结构、组织和功能直到最近才得到研究。与3型荚膜产生相关的基因已被测序、表达，并对其相应产物进行了生化特性鉴定。此外，目前已有关于1型、14型或19F型肺炎球菌荚膜生物合成相关基因的部分信息。
