Comparison of Hyaluronic Acid Biosynthetic Genes From Different Strains of Pasteurella multocida

Pasteurella multocida produces a capsule composed of different polysaccharides according to the capsular serotype (A, B, D, E, and F). Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a component of certain capsular types of this bacterium, especially capsular type A. Previously, 2 HA biosynthetic genes from a capsular type A strain were studied for the industrial-scale improvement of HA production. Molecular comparison of these genes across different capsular serotypes of P multocida has not been reported. This study aimed to compare 8 HA biosynthetic genes (pgi, pgm, galU, hyaC, glmS, glmM, glmU, and hyaD) of 22 P multocida strains (A:B:D:F = 6:6:6:4) with those of other organisms using sequence and structural bioinformatics analyses. These 8 genes showed a high level of within-species similarity (98%-99%) compared with other organisms. Only the last gene of 4 strains with capsular type F (HN07, PM70, HNF01, and HNF02) significantly differed from those of other strains (82%). Analysis of amino acid patterns together with phylogenetic results showed that the HA biosynthetic genes of the type A were closely related within the group. The genes in the capsular type F strain were notably similar to those of the capsular type A strain. Protein structural analysis supported structural similarities of the encoded enzymes between the strains of capsular types A, B, D, and F, except for the Pgm, GlmS, GlmU, and HyaD proteins. Our bioinformatics analytic workflow proposed that variations observed within these genes could be useful for genetic engineering–based improvement of hyaluronic acid–producing enzymes.