Figure 12. Deletion of LMP1 reduces mating efficiency, melanization and virulence.
A. Mating assays on V8 agar incubated at room temperature for 7 days in the dark. Each strain was mated with KN99a. One or two mating tufts were observed in the lmp1Δ mutant per mating reaction whereas the wild-type and lmp1Δ+LMP1 complemented strain mated robustly. Melanization is reduced in the lmp1Δ mutant at 37°C and restored in the lmp1Δ+LMP1 complemented strain in assays on l–DOPA agar incubated at 30°C or 37°C for 2 days. B. H99S, lmp1Δ mutant strain, and lmp1Δ+LMP1 complemented strain in the murine model of infection. Per each strain, a group of 10 animals was each infected with an inoculum of 5.0×105 cells via intranasal instillation. The results illustrate the complete loss of virulence in the lmp1Δ mutant with the virulence restored back to the H99S level in the lmp1Δ+LMP1 complemented strain.