Differential expression and transcriptional analysis of the alpha-2,3-sialyltransferase gene in pathogenic Neisseria spp.

Infection and Immunity
Mathanraj PackiamRichard F Rest

Abstract

Alpha-2,3-sialyltransferase (Lst) is expressed on the outer membrane of Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitidis and sialylates surface lipooligosaccharide (LOS), facilitating resistance to complement-mediated killing. The enzyme is constitutively expressed from a single gene (lst) and does not undergo antigenic or phase variation. We observed that Triton X-100 extracts of N. gonorrhoeae strain F62 contain about fivefold more sialyltransferase (Stase) activity than extracts of N. meningitidis strain MC58 [symbol: see text]3 a serogroup B acapsulate mutant. We confirmed and expanded upon this observation by showing that extracts of 16 random N. gonorrhoeae isolates contain various amounts of Stase activity, but, on average, 2.2-fold-more Stase activity than extracts of 16 N. meningitidis clinical isolates, representing several serogroups and nongroupable strains. Northern and real-time reverse transcription-PCR analysis of lst transcript levels in N. gonorrhoeae and N. meningitidis revealed that N. gonorrhoeae strains express more lst transcript than N. meningitidis strains. Although transcript levels correlate with average Stase activity observed in the two species, there was not a direct correlation between lst transcr...Continue Reading

References

Dec 1, 1995·Microbial Pathogenesis·R F Rest, R E Mandrell
May 4, 2001·FEBS Letters·G CantalupoP Alifano
May 29, 2002·Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta·Eliana De GregorioPier Paolo Di Nocera
Jun 1, 1963·Journal of Bacteriology·D S KELLOGGD I PIRKLE

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Citations

Sep 5, 2012·European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases : Official Publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology·R LouwenA van Belkum
Jan 26, 2016·Critical Reviews in Microbiology·Jennifer L EdwardsKate L Seib
Oct 10, 2013·Virulence·Lisa A Lewis, Sanjay Ram
Sep 5, 2007·Microbiology·Emmanuele SeveriGavin H Thomas

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