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Phase variation in meningococcal lipooligosaccharide biosynthesis genes.
A W Berrington1, Y-C Tan, Y Srikhanta
1Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.
FEMS Immunology and Medical Microbiology
|November 22, 2002
Summary
Neisseria meningitidis lipooligosaccharide (LOS) can switch between structures, but this variation doesn't seem essential for invasive disease progression. Our study found extensive LOS structural potential, yet no link to virulence or host compartment translocation.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Molecular Biology
- Immunology
Background:
- Neisseria meningitidis exhibits diverse lipooligosaccharide (LOS) structures, with at least 13 immunotypes (ITs).
- LOS terminal structures undergo phase variation, allowing switching between ITs, potentially impacting disease pathogenesis.
- The functional significance of LOS phase variation during invasive meningococcal disease remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the structural repertoire of LOS expressed by clinical Neisseria meningitidis isolates.
- To examine the role of phase-variable LOS gene expression during invasive disease.
- To determine if LOS structural variation correlates with virulence or host compartment translocation.
Main Methods:
- Southern blotting to detect LOS biosynthetic genes in global and local clinical isolates.
- PCR amplification and sequencing of homopolymeric tracts in phase-variable genes (lgtA, lgtC, lgtG).
- Comparison of predicted expressed structures with conventional immunotyping and virulence data.
Main Results:
- Clinical isolates demonstrated significant potential for expressing diverse LOS structures.
- Predicted expressed LOS structures generally aligned with conventional immunotyping results.
- No correlation was found between the LOS structural repertoire and isolate virulence.
- Phase variation of LOS structures was not found to be necessary for host compartment translocation.
Conclusions:
- Neisseria meningitidis possesses a high capacity for LOS structural variation.
- LOS phase variation does not appear to be a critical factor for virulence or host cell translocation in invasive disease.
- Further research may elucidate other roles for LOS phase variation in meningococcal pathogenesis.