PgaR is a positive regulator of the pgaABCD biosynthetic operon in Klebsiella pneumoniae

Abstract

The biosynthetic locus encoding the exopolysaccharide poly-N-acetyl-glucosamine (PNAG) is widely conserved across bacteria, including the WHO critical-priority pathogen Klebsiella pneumoniae (Kp). In Kp, PNAG synthesis is mediated by the pgaABCD operon, yet its lineage-specific regulation remains incompletely defined. Using a comparative genomics approach to interrogate the pgaABCD locus across the high-risk clonal Kp complex 258 (CC258) lineage, we identified a previously uncharacterised positive transcriptional regulator located immediately upstream of pgaA, which we designate pgaR. Phylogenetic analysis revealed recurrent evolutionary events affecting this regulatory region, including repeated deletion or truncation of pgaR and a G>A substitution upstream of the pgaR start codon. Functional characterisation demonstrated that loss of pgaR abolishes pgaABCD expression and PNAG production, whereas the upstream G>A substitution drives PNAG hyper-production. In vitro, Kp produce extensive extracellular PNAG networks under static growth conditions, consistent with a role in biofilm architecture. Despite this, PNAG expression was dispensable in murine pneumonia and peritonitis models, while PNAG hyper-production significantly attenuated virulence and disease severity, indicating a fitness cost associated with sustained overexpression. Collectively, we discovered PgaR as a novel gene regulator of the pgaABCD operon. We show a previously unrecognised lineage-specific layer of PNAG regulation in Kp and demonstrate that opposing PNAG phenotypes: loss and hyper-production, have independently and repeatedly emerged among clinical CC258 isolates, highlighting dynamic selection acting on biofilm-associated traits in this high-risk pathogen. ImportanceThe exopolysaccharide poly-N-acetyl-glucosamine (PNAG) is widely conserved in bacteria, including the WHO critical-priority pathogen Klebsiella pneumoniae. However, how PNAG production is regulated in high-risk lineages has remained unclear. Here, we identify PgaR as a previously unrecognised positive regulator of the pgaABCD operon in clonal complex 258, a globally disseminated and drug-resistant lineage. We show that natural genetic variation within this regulatory region leads to strikingly different PNAG phenotypes: complete loss of production or hyper-production. While PNAG contributes to extracellular matrix formation in vitro, it is dispensable for virulence in murine infection models, and sustained overproduction imposes a fitness cost. The repeated and independent emergence of both loss- and gain-of-function variants among clinical isolates reveals dynamic evolutionary pressures acting on biofilm-associated traits. These findings uncover a lineage-specific layer of PNAG regulation and highlight how modulation of surface polysaccharide expression shapes pathogen fitness and adaptation.