Capsulation in distantly related strains of Haemophilus influenzae type b: genetic drift and gene transfer at the capsulation locus

Abstract

Among natural populations of capsulate Haemophilus influenzae, clones of strains with type b capsular polysaccharide are found in each of two widely separated phylogenetic divisions. The chromosomal capsulation locus found in strains from either division has a three-segment organization, with serotype-specific DNA nested between elements common to all serotypes, but pairwise comparison of the segments between the divisions suggests that they have distinct phylogenetic histories. Genes clustered in one of the non-serotype-specific segments appear to have diverged from an ancestral element, reflected in 12% nucleotide sequence divergence in one homologous pair. In contrast, genes conferring the capacity to produce type-specific polysaccharide exhibit no such divergence, and we speculate that these have been subject more recently to horizontal transfer within the bacterial population. Clinically important capsulate gram-negative bacteria share a common organization of their capsulation loci, arguing convergence on a successful arrangement of genes. In H. influenzae this appears to have allowed the occasional exchange of serotype-specific capsulation genes between strains, a event of potential clinical importance in this major bacterial pathogen.