Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41803082›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

Transcriptional regulation of the pneumococcal capsule can dictate serotype-specific infection.

Michela Marra, Ozcan Gazioglu, David G Glanville, Victoria M Harper-Cummings, Silvia Santana-Krimskaya, Abby R Kroken, Adonis D'Mello, Feroze A Ganaie, Moon H Nahm, Hervé Tettelin and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Michela Marra *Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL, USA.
Ozcan Gazioglu *School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
David G Glanville *Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA. dgglanvi@uab.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8487-5941
Victoria M Harper-CummingsDepartment of Microbiology, Heersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0005-3390-5900
Silvia Santana-KrimskayaDepartment of Microbiology, Heersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7885-7691
Abby R KrokenDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1807-1125
Adonis D'MelloDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6995-3617
Feroze A GanaieDepartment of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
Moon H NahmDepartment of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
Hervé TettelinDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0615-3257
Carlos J OrihuelaDepartment of Microbiology, Heersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8542-4069
Hasan YesilkayaSchool of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3617-1437
Andrew T UlijaszDepartment of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA. aulijasz@uab.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0739-1297

Funding

Cardiac microlesion formation during invasive pneumococcal diseaseR01AI114800 · NIAID · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCIENCE CENTER · PI Carlos J Orihuela, Herve S TETTELIN · 2015 to 2026
$5.1M
Molecular mechanisms underlying organ penetration in disseminated pneumococcal infectionR01AI172796 · NIAID · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · PI Carlos J Orihuela, Min Xie · 2023 to 2026
$2.6M
A Regulatory Cascade that Controls Pneumococcal Capsule BiosynthesisR01AI135060 · NIAID · LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO · PI ULIJASZ, ANDREW T · 2019 to 2023
$2.3M
Inflammasome-mediated corneal epithelial cell defenses inhibited by pathogenic bacteriaR01EY034239 · NEI · LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO · PI Abby R Kroken · 2022 to 2026
$1.9M
A novel family of conserved glyoxal toxicity response proteins.R01GM141230 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · PI ULIJASZ, ANDREW T · 2022 to 2025
$1.7M
NEI NIH HHS R01 EY034239NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI114800NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI135060NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI172796U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Eye Institute (NEI) R01EY034239U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) HL171136U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) AI114800U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) AI172796U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) AI178586U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) R01AI135060U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) R01GM141230
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus) is a human bacterial pathogen and the major cause of bacterial pneumonia, which can further develop into sepsis. The pneumococcus has evolved over 107 antigenically-distinct serotypes that are defined by the chemical composition of its capsule; its major virulence factor and the main protective antigen within the vaccine. Owing to its capsule diversification, certain serotypes are known for being more effective at either colonization or invasiveness. It has historically been accepted that these differences are due to the chemical properties of the capsule itself, whose biosynthetic genes are encoded in a single capsular polysaccharide (cps) operon. Here we show that infection outcomes can also be the result of a serotype's subtle, natural variations within the regulatory region which results in unique transcriptional control of the cps locus. We propose that these data explain, in part, how this pathogen might rapidly evolve its capsule expression to accommodate evolutionary pressures introduced from pneumococcal vaccines, without having to rely on genetic recombination.

Indexed as

Bacterial CapsulesGene Expression Regulation, BacterialPneumococcal InfectionsStreptococcus pneumoniaeTranscription, GeneticAnimalsHumansMiceOperonSerogroup

Identifiers

PMID41803082
PMCPMC13100157

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.