Identification of the Vibrio vulnificus wbpP Gene and Evaluation of Its Role in Virulence

Abstract
A wbpP gene encoding a putative UDP- N -acetyl- d -glucosamine C 4 epimerase was identified and cloned from Vibrio vulnificus . The functions of the wbpP gene, assessed by the construction of an isogenic mutant and by evaluating its phenotype changes, demonstrated that WbpP is essential in both the pathogenesis and the capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis of V. vulnificus .