Capsular Polysaccharide A (CPSA) is a polymer of a tetrasaccharide unit found on the surface of the symbiotic gut bacteria Bacteroides fragilis. It has been suggested that CPSA is vital for maintaining a normal balance between the levels of Th1 and Th2 cells in a normal mammalian immune system. The gene locus responsible for CPSA biosynthesis has been identified. It encodes four glycosyltransferases, three sugar modifying enzymes, a flippase and a polysaccharide polymerase. A route for the biosynthesis of CPSA is proposed. The initiating enzyme in the pathway has been indentified and characterized. Other enzymes responsible have also been isolated. Work is in progress to identify the sequence of these enzymes.

Mapping the biosynthetic pathway of Capsular Polysaccharide A

245th National Meeting (2013)

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