A novel ItrA4 D-galactosyl 1-phosphate transferase is predicted to initiate synthesis of an amino sugar-lacking K92 capsular polysaccharide of Acinetobacter baumannii B8300

The K92 capsular polysaccharide (CPS) from Acinetobacter baumannii B8300 was studied by sugar analysis, Smith degradation, and one- and two-dimensional 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. The elucidated CPS includes a branched pentasaccharide repeat unit containing one D-Galp and four L-Rhap residues; an atypical composition given that all A. baumannii CPS structures determined to date contain at least one amino sugar. Accordingly, biosynthesis of A. baumannii CPS types are initiated by initiating transferases (Itrs) that transfer 1-phosphate of either a 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-hexose, a 2-acetamido-2,6-dideoxy-D-hexose or a 2-acetamido-4-acylamino-2,4,6-trideoxy-D-hexose to an undecaprenyl phosphate (UndP) carrier. However, the KL92 capsule biosynthesis gene cluster in the B8300 genome sequence includes a gene for a novel Itr type, ItrA4, which is predicted to begin synthesis of the K92 CPS by transferring D-Galp 1-phosphate to the UndP lipid carrier. The itrA4 gene was found in a module transcribed in the opposite direction to the majority of the K locus. This module also includes an unknown open reading frame (orfKL92), a gtr166 glycosyltransferase gene, and a wzi gene predicted to be involved in the attachment of CPS to the cell surface. Investigation into the origins of orfKL92-gtr166-itrA4-wziKL92 revealed it might have originated from Acinetobacter junii.