This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Tzeng, Y.-L.
Right arrow Articles by Stephens, D. S.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Tzeng, Y.-L.
Right arrow Articles by Stephens, D. S.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Bacteriology, May 2002, p. 2379-2388, Vol. 184, No. 9
0021-9193/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.184.9.2379-2388.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Endotoxin of Neisseria meningitidis Composed Only of Intact Lipid A: Inactivation of the Meningococcal 3-Deoxy-D-Manno-Octulosonic Acid Transferase

Yih-Ling Tzeng,1,2 Anup Datta,3 V. Kumar Kolli,3 Russell W. Carlson,3 and David S. Stephens1,2,4*

Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine,1 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine,2 Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Atlanta,4 The Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia3

Received 21 September 2001/ Accepted 12 December 2001

Lipopolysaccharide, lipooligosaccharide (LOS), or endotoxin is important in bacterial survival and the pathogenesis of gram-negative bacteria. A necessary step in endotoxin biosynthesis is 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonic acid (Kdo) glycosylation of lipid A, catalyzed by the Kdo transferase KdtA (WaaA). In enteric gram-negative bacteria, this step is essential for survival. A nonpolar kdtA::aphA-3 mutation was created in Neisseria meningitidis via allelic exchange, and the mutant was viable. Detailed structural analysis demonstrated that the endotoxin of the kdtA::aphA-3 mutant was composed of fully acylated lipid A with variable phosphorylation but without Kdo glycosylation. In contrast to what happens in other gram-negative bacteria, tetra-acylated lipid IVA did not accumulate. The LOS structure of the kdtA::aphA-3 mutant was restored to the wild-type structure by complementation with kdtA from N. meningitidis or Escherichia coli. The expression of a fully acylated, unglycosylated lipid A indicates that lipid A biosynthesis in N. meningitidis can proceed without the addition of Kdo and that KdtA is not essential for survival of the meningococcus.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Division of Infectious Diseases, Emory University School of Medicine, 69 Bulter Street, SE, Atlanta, GA 30303. Phone: (404) 728-7688. Fax: (404) 329-2210. E-mail: dstep01{at}emory.edu.

Journal of Bacteriology, May 2002, p. 2379-2388, Vol. 184, No. 9
0021-9193/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.184.9.2379-2388.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Weynants, V., Denoel, P., Devos, N., Janssens, D., Feron, C., Goraj, K., Momin, P., Monnom, D., Tans, C., Vandercammen, A., Wauters, F., Poolman, J. T. (2009). Genetically Modified L3,7 and L2 Lipooligosaccharides from Neisseria meningitidis Serogroup B Confer a Broad Cross-Bactericidal Response. Infect. Immun. 77: 2084-2093 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Marsden, G. L., Li, J., Everest, P. H., Lawson, A. J., Ketley, J. M. (2009). Creation of a Large Deletion Mutant of Campylobacter jejuni Reveals that the Lipooligosaccharide Gene Cluster Is Not Required for Viability. J. Bacteriol. 191: 2392-2399 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Schwingel, J. M, Michael, F. S., Cox, A. D, Masoud, H., Richards, J. C, Campagnari, A. A (2008). A unique glycosyltransferase involved in the initial assembly of Moraxella catarrhalis lipooligosaccharides. Glycobiology 18: 447-455 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Zughaier, S. M., Lindner, B., Howe, J., Garidel, P., Koch, M. H.J., Brandenburg, K., Stephens, D. S. (2007). Physicochemical characterization and biological activity of lipooligosaccharides and lipid A from Neisseria meningitidis. Innate Immunity 13: 343-357 [Abstract]  
  • Trent, M. S., Stead, C. M., Tran, A. X., Hankins, J. V. (2006). Invited review: Diversity of endotoxin and its impact on pathogenesis. Innate Immunity 12: 205-223 [Abstract]  
  • Peng, D., Hong, W., Choudhury, B. P., Carlson, R. W., Gu, X.-X. (2005). Moraxella catarrhalis Bacterium without Endotoxin, a Potential Vaccine Candidate. Infect. Immun. 73: 7569-7577 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Tan, L., Darby, C. (2005). Yersinia pestis Is Viable with Endotoxin Composed of Only Lipid A. J. Bacteriol. 187: 6599-6600 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Peng, D., Choudhury, B. P., Petralia, R. S., Carlson, R. W., Gu, X.-X. (2005). Roles of 3-Deoxy-D-manno-2-Octulosonic Acid Transferase from Moraxella catarrhalis in Lipooligosaccharide Biosynthesis and Virulence. Infect. Immun. 73: 4222-4230 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Gudlavalleti, S. K., Datta, A. K., Tzeng, Y.-L., Noble, C., Carlson, R. W., Stephens, D. S. (2004). The Neisseria meningitidis Serogroup A Capsular Polysaccharide O-3 and O-4 Acetyltransferase. J. Biol. Chem. 279: 42765-42773 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Corsaro, M. M., Lanzetta, R., Parrilli, E., Parrilli, M., Tutino, M. L., Ummarino, S. (2004). Influence of Growth Temperature on Lipid and Phosphate Contents of Surface Polysaccharides from the Antarctic Bacterium Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis TAC 125. J. Bacteriol. 186: 29-34 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Zughaier, S. M., Tzeng, Y.-L., Zimmer, S. M., Datta, A., Carlson, R. W., Stephens, D. S. (2004). Neisseria meningitidis Lipooligosaccharide Structure-Dependent Activation of the Macrophage CD14/Toll-Like Receptor 4 Pathway. Infect. Immun. 72: 371-380 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Luke, N. R., Allen, S., Gibson, B. W., Campagnari, A. A. (2003). Identification of a 3-Deoxy-D-manno-Octulosonic Acid Biosynthetic Operon in Moraxella catarrhalis and Analysis of a KdsA-Deficient Isogenic Mutant. Infect. Immun. 71: 6426-6434 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Cox, A. D., Wright, J. C., Li, J., Hood, D. W., Moxon, E. R., Richards, J. C. (2003). Phosphorylation of the Lipid A Region of Meningococcal Lipopolysaccharide: Identification of a Family of Transferases That Add Phosphoethanolamine to Lipopolysaccharide. J. Bacteriol. 185: 3270-3277 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • van der Ley, P., Steeghs, L. (2003). Lessons from an LPS-deficient Neisseria meningitidis mutant. Innate Immunity 9: 124-128 [Abstract]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»