The Klebsiella pneumoniae wabG Gene: Role inBiosynthesis of the Core Lipopolysaccharide andVirulence
ABSTRACT To determine the function of the wabG gene in the biosynthesis of the core lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Klebsiella pneumoniae , we constructed wabG nonpolar mutants. Data obtained from the comparative chemical and structural analysis of LPS samples obtained from the wild type, the mutant str...
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Published in | Journal of bacteriology Vol. 185; no. 24; pp. 7213 - 7221 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
15.12.2003
|
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | ABSTRACT
To
determine the function of the
wabG
gene in the biosynthesis of
the core lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of
Klebsiella pneumoniae
, we
constructed
wabG
nonpolar mutants. Data obtained from the
comparative chemical and structural analysis of LPS samples obtained
from the wild type, the mutant strain, and the complemented mutant
demonstrated that the
wabG
gene is involved in attachment toα
-
l
-glycero-
d
-manno-heptopyranose II
(
l
,
d
-Hep
p
II) at the O-3 position of anα
-
d
-galactopyranosyluronic acid
(α-
d
-GalA
p
) residue.
K. pneumoniae
nonpolar
wabG
mutants were devoid of the cell-attached
capsular polysaccharide but were still able to produce capsular
polysaccharide. Similar results were obtained with
K.
pneumoniae
nonpolar
waaC
and
waaF
mutants, which
produce shorter LPS core molecules than do
wabG
mutants. Other
outer core
K. pneumoniae
nonpolar mutants in the
waa
gene cluster were encapsulated.
K. pneumoniae waaC
,
waaF
, and
wabG
mutants were avirulent when tested in
different animal models. Furthermore, these mutants were more sensitive
to some hydrophobic compounds than the wild-type strains. All these
characteristics were rescued by reintroduction of the
waaC
,
waaF
, and
wabG
genes from
K.
pneumoniae
. |
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ISSN: | 0021-9193 1098-5530 |
DOI: | 10.1128/JB.185.24.7213-7221.2003 |