Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1994 Mar;176(5):1530–1534. doi: 10.1128/jb.176.5.1530-1534.1994

Identification of a genetic locus involved in the biosynthesis of N-acetyl-D-mannosamine, a precursor of the (alpha 2-->8)-linked polysialic acid capsule of serogroup B Neisseria meningitidis.

J S Swartley 1, D S Stephens 1
PMCID: PMC205225  PMID: 8113198

Abstract

We characterized the genetic defect of a capsule-deficient serogroup B meningococcal strain created by Tn916 mutagenesis. The transposon insertion interrupts a capsule biosynthesis gene, synX, which is involved in the production of N-acetyl-D-mannosamine, a precursor of the (alpha 2-->8)-linked polysialic acid capsule of serogroup B meningococci.

Full text

PDF
1533

Images in this article

1532Image
on p.1532

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. BLACKLOW R. S., WARREN L. Biosynthesis of sialic acids by Neisseria meningitidis. J Biol Chem. 1962 Nov;237:3520–3526. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. CATLIN B. W., SCHLOER G. M. A defined agar medium for genetic transformation of Neisseria meningitidis. J Bacteriol. 1962 Mar;83:470–474. doi: 10.1128/jb.83.3.470-474.1962. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Cross A. S. The biologic significance of bacterial encapsulation. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol. 1990;150:87–95. doi: 10.1007/978-3-642-74694-9_5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Devereux J., Haeberli P., Smithies O. A comprehensive set of sequence analysis programs for the VAX. Nucleic Acids Res. 1984 Jan 11;12(1 Pt 1):387–395. doi: 10.1093/nar/12.1part1.387. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Edwards U., Frosch M. Sequence and functional analysis of the cloned Neisseria meningitidis CMP-NeuNAc synthetase. FEMS Microbiol Lett. 1992 Sep 15;75(2-3):161–166. doi: 10.1016/0378-1097(92)90397-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Finne J., Leinonen M., Mäkelä P. H. Antigenic similarities between brain components and bacteria causing meningitis. Implications for vaccine development and pathogenesis. Lancet. 1983 Aug 13;2(8346):355–357. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(83)90340-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Frosch M., Edwards U., Bousset K., Krausse B., Weisgerber C. Evidence for a common molecular origin of the capsule gene loci in gram-negative bacteria expressing group II capsular polysaccharides. Mol Microbiol. 1991 May;5(5):1251–1263. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1991.tb01899.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Frosch M., Weisgerber C., Meyer T. F. Molecular characterization and expression in Escherichia coli of the gene complex encoding the polysaccharide capsule of Neisseria meningitidis group B. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1989 Mar;86(5):1669–1673. doi: 10.1073/pnas.86.5.1669. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. GHOSH S., ROSEMAN S. THE SIALIC ACIDS. IV. N-ACYL--D-GLUCOSAMINE 6-PHOSPHATE 2-EPIMERASE. J Biol Chem. 1965 Apr;240:1525–1530. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Hoffman S., Sorkin B. C., White P. C., Brackenbury R., Mailhammer R., Rutishauser U., Cunningham B. A., Edelman G. M. Chemical characterization of a neural cell adhesion molecule purified from embryonic brain membranes. J Biol Chem. 1982 Jul 10;257(13):7720–7729. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Masson L., Holbein B. E. Physiology of sialic acid capsular polysaccharide synthesis in serogroup B Neisseria meningitidis. J Bacteriol. 1983 May;154(2):728–736. doi: 10.1128/jb.154.2.728-736.1983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Moxon E. R., Kroll J. S. The role of bacterial polysaccharide capsules as virulence factors. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol. 1990;150:65–85. doi: 10.1007/978-3-642-74694-9_4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Shyamala V., Ames G. F. Genome walking by single-specific-primer polymerase chain reaction: SSP-PCR. Gene. 1989 Dec 7;84(1):1–8. doi: 10.1016/0378-1119(89)90132-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Silver R. P., Finn C. W., Vann W. F., Aaronson W., Schneerson R., Kretschmer P. J., Garon C. F. Molecular cloning of the K1 capsular polysaccharide genes of E. coli. Nature. 1981 Feb 19;289(5799):696–698. doi: 10.1038/289696b0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Stephens D. S., Spellman P. A., Swartley J. S. Effect of the (alpha 2-->8)-linked polysialic acid capsule on adherence of Neisseria meningitidis to human mucosal cells. J Infect Dis. 1993 Feb;167(2):475–479. doi: 10.1093/infdis/167.2.475. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Stephens D. S., Swartley J. S., Kathariou S., Morse S. A. Insertion of Tn916 in Neisseria meningitidis resulting in loss of group B capsular polysaccharide. Infect Immun. 1991 Nov;59(11):4097–4102. doi: 10.1128/iai.59.11.4097-4102.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Swartley J. S., McAllister C. F., Hajjeh R. A., Heinrich D. W., Stephens D. S. Deletions of Tn916-like transposons are implicated in tetM-mediated resistance in pathogenic Neisseria. Mol Microbiol. 1993 Oct;10(2):299–310. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1993.tb01956.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Vimr E. R., Aaronson W., Silver R. P. Genetic analysis of chromosomal mutations in the polysialic acid gene cluster of Escherichia coli K1. J Bacteriol. 1989 Feb;171(2):1106–1117. doi: 10.1128/jb.171.2.1106-1117.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Vimr E. R. Selective synthesis and labeling of the polysialic acid capsule in Escherichia coli K1 strains with mutations in nanA and neuB. J Bacteriol. 1992 Oct;174(19):6191–6197. doi: 10.1128/jb.174.19.6191-6197.1992. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Vimr E. R., Troy F. A. Identification of an inducible catabolic system for sialic acids (nan) in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1985 Nov;164(2):845–853. doi: 10.1128/jb.164.2.845-853.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Vimr E. R., Troy F. A. Regulation of sialic acid metabolism in Escherichia coli: role of N-acylneuraminate pyruvate-lyase. J Bacteriol. 1985 Nov;164(2):854–860. doi: 10.1128/jb.164.2.854-860.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. WARREN L., BLACKLOW R. S. The biosynthesis of cytidine 5'-monophospho-n-acetylneuraminic acid by an enzyme from Neisseria meningitidis. J Biol Chem. 1962 Nov;237:3527–3534. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Zapata G., Crowley J. M., Vann W. F. Sequence and expression of the Escherichia coli K1 neuC gene product. J Bacteriol. 1992 Jan;174(1):315–319. doi: 10.1128/jb.174.1.315-319.1992. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Zapata G., Vann W. F., Aaronson W., Lewis M. S., Moos M. Sequence of the cloned Escherichia coli K1 CMP-N-acetylneuraminic acid synthetase gene. J Biol Chem. 1989 Sep 5;264(25):14769–14774. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Bacteriology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES