Cloning and characterization of the Neisseria meningitidis rfaC gene encoding α-1,5 heptosyltransferase I
Corresponding Author
Igor Stojiljkovic
Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR 97201, USA
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University, 1510 Clifton Rd., Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 (404) 727-1322; fax: +1 (404) 727-8250.Search for more papers by this authorVivian Hwa
Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR 97201, USA
Search for more papers by this authorJason Larson
Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR 97201, USA
Search for more papers by this authorLan Lin
Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR 97201, USA
Search for more papers by this authorMagdalene So
Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR 97201, USA
Search for more papers by this authorXavier Nassif
Laboratoire de Microbiologie INSERM U411, Faculté de Médecine Necker-Enfants Malades, Université René Descartes, Paris, France
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Igor Stojiljkovic
Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR 97201, USA
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University, 1510 Clifton Rd., Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 (404) 727-1322; fax: +1 (404) 727-8250.Search for more papers by this authorVivian Hwa
Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR 97201, USA
Search for more papers by this authorJason Larson
Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR 97201, USA
Search for more papers by this authorLan Lin
Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR 97201, USA
Search for more papers by this authorMagdalene So
Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR 97201, USA
Search for more papers by this authorXavier Nassif
Laboratoire de Microbiologie INSERM U411, Faculté de Médecine Necker-Enfants Malades, Université René Descartes, Paris, France
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
We cloned and characterized the Neisseria meningitidis rfaC gene which encodes an enzyme, α-1,5 heptosyltransferase I, involved in the synthesis of the deep-core of the lipooligosaccharide. The N. meningitidis rfaC mutant, obtained by an allelic exchange, produced lipooligosaccharide which migrated faster in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis than the lipooligosaccharide isolated from the wild-type N. meningitidis. The N. meningitidis rfaC mutant was not affected by growth in a rich microbiological medium and did not show any defect in adhesion to epithelial cell lines. Conversely, the rfaC mutant was attenuated in the infant rat model of meningococcemia, thus confirming the importance of intact lipooligosaccharide in the virulence of N. meningitidis.
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