@entity8966 , a biofouling marine bacterium and @entity1 pathogen, undergoes phase variation displaying translucent (TR) and opaque (OP) colony morphologies. Prior studies demonstrated that OP colonies produce more capsular polysaccharide (CPS) than TR colonies and that @entity231 is controlled by the @entity11784 LuxR-type transcriptional activator OpaR. CPS has also been shown to be regulated by the scrABC signaling pathway, which involves a GGDEF-EAL motif-containing sensory protein. The present study identifies cps genes and examines their regulation. Transposon insertions in the cps locus, which contains 11 genes, @entity231 . Such mutants failed to produce CPS and were defective in pellicle formation in microtiter wells and in a biofilm attachment assay. Reporter fusions to cpsA, the first gene in the locus, showed approximately 10-fold-enhanced transcription in the OP (opaR+) strain compared to a TR (deltaopaR) strain. Two additional transcriptional regulators were discovered. One potential activator, CpsR, participates in the scrABC GGDEF-EAL-signaling pathway; CpsR was required for the increased cps expression observed in scrA deltaopaR strains. CpsR, which contains a conserved module found in members of the AAA+ superfamily of @entity855 -interacting proteins, is homologous to @entity1838 VpsR; however, unlike VpsR, CpsR was not essential for cps expression. CpsS, the second newly identified regulator, contains a CsgD-type DNA-binding domain and appears to act as a repressor. Mutants with cpsS defects have greatly elevated cps transcription; their high level of cpsA expression was CpsR dependent in TR strains and primarily OpaR dependent in OP strains. Thus, a network of positive and negative regulators modulates CPS production in @entity8966 .

Multiple regulators control capsular polysaccharide production in XXXX .

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['human'] @entity11784 :: ('669', 'Species') :: ['Vibrio harveyi'] @entity8966 :: ('670', 'Species') :: ['Vibrio parahaemolyticus', 'V. parahaemolyticus'] @entity231 :: ('MESH:D002386', 'Disease') :: ['opacity', 'abolished opacity'] @entity1838 :: ('666', 'Species') :: ['Vibrio cholerae'] @entity855 :: ('MESH:D000255', 'Chemical') :: ['ATP']
@entity8966 :: (670,Species) :: ['Vibrio parahaemolyticus']
