Chromosomal DNA deletions explain phenotypic characteristics of two antigenic variants, phase II and RSA 514 (crazy), of the Coxiella burnetii nine mile strain - PubMed (original) (raw)

Chromosomal DNA deletions explain phenotypic characteristics of two antigenic variants, phase II and RSA 514 (crazy), of the Coxiella burnetii nine mile strain

T A Hoover et al. Infect Immun. 2002 Dec.

Abstract

After repeated passages through embyronated eggs, the Nine Mile strain of Coxiella burnetii exhibits antigenic variation, a loss of virulence characteristics, and transition to a truncated lipopolysaccharide (LPS) structure. In two independently derived strains, Nine Mile phase II and RSA 514, these phenotypic changes were accompanied by a large chromosomal deletion (M. H. Vodkin and J. C. Williams, J. Gen. Microbiol. 132:2587-2594, 1986). In the work reported here, additional screening of a cosmid bank prepared from the wild-type strain was used to map the deletion termini of both mutant strains and to accumulate all the segments of DNA that comprise the two deletions. The corresponding DNAs were then sequenced and annotated. The Nine Mile phase II deletion was completely nested within the deletion of the RSA 514 strain. Basic alignment and homology studies indicated that a large group of LPS biosynthetic genes, arranged in an apparent O-antigen cluster, was deleted in both variants. Database homologies identified, in particular, mannose pathway genes and genes encoding sugar methylases and nucleotide sugar epimerase-dehydratase proteins. Candidate genes for addition of sugar units to the core oligosaccharide for synthesis of the rare sugar 6-deoxy-3-C-methylgulose (virenose) were identified in the deleted region. Repeats, redundancies, paralogous genes, and two regions with reduced G+C contents were found within the deletions.

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Figures

FIG. 1.

FIG. 1.

Map of C. burnetii Nine Mile strain deletion regions. Annotated ORFs believed to function in O-antigen synthesis are indicated by grey arrows. ORFs believed to be related to carbohydrate metabolism or to other LPS biosynthetic steps are indicated by boldface arrows. The locations of endpoints of cosmid clones pJB167 and pJB153 are indicated by cross-hatched bars, and the location of the pCBE700 _Eco_RI clone is indicated by the stippled bar. Beginning on the left, the designations of the ORFs correspond to JB167-1 through JB167-6, followed by JB153-1 through JB153-25. The approximate locations of useful restriction sites are indicated.

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