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Journal of Bacteriology, August 2008, p. 5681-5689, Vol. 190, No. 16
0021-9193/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.00254-08
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Characterization of Lipooligosaccharide-Biosynthetic Loci of Campylobacter jejuni Reveals New Lipooligosaccharide Classes: Evidence of Mosaic Organizations{triangledown} ,{dagger}

Craig T. Parker,1* Michel Gilbert,2 Nobuhiro Yuki,3 Hubert P. Endtz,4,5 and Robert E. Mandrell1

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Produce Safety and Microbiology Research Unit, Albany, California,1 Institute for Biological Sciences, National Research Council Canada, 100 Sussex Dr., Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R6, Canada,2 GBS Laboratory, Tokyo 145-0064, Japan,3 Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands,4 International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, GPO Box 128, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh5

Received 27 March 2008/ Accepted 6 June 2008

The lipooligosaccharide (LOS) biosynthesis region is one of the more variable genomic regions between strains of Campylobacter jejuni. Indeed, eight classes of LOS biosynthesis loci have been established previously based on gene content and organization. In this study, we characterize additional classes of LOS biosynthesis loci and analyze various mechanisms that result in changes to LOS structures. To gain further insights into the genomic diversity of C. jejuni LOS biosynthesis region, we sequenced the LOS biosynthesis loci of 15 strains that possessed gene content that was distinct from the eight classes. This analysis identified 11 new classes of LOS loci that exhibited examples of deletions and insertions of genes and cassettes of genes found in other LOS classes or capsular biosynthesis loci leading to mosaic LOS loci. The sequence analysis also revealed both missense mutations leading to "allelic" glycosyltransferases and phase-variable and non-phase-variable gene inactivation by the deletion or insertion of bases. Specifically, we demonstrated that gene inactivation is an important mechanism for altering the LOS structures of strains possessing the same class of LOS biosynthesis locus. Together, these observations suggest that LOS biosynthesis region is a hotspot for genetic exchange and variability, often leading to changes in the LOS produced.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: U.S. Department of Agriculture, ARS, WRRC, Produce Safety and Microbiology Unit, 800 Buchanan Street, Albany, CA 94710. Phone: (510) 559-6187. Fax: (510) 559-6162. E-mail: parker{at}pw.usda.gov

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 13 June 2008.

{dagger} Supplemental material for this article may be found at http://jb.asm.org/.

Journal of Bacteriology, August 2008, p. 5681-5689, Vol. 190, No. 16
0021-9193/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.00254-08
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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