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Infection and Immunity, October 2000, p. 5716-5723, Vol. 68, No. 10
0019-9567/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Identification and Characterization of the Brucella abortus Phosphoglucomutase Gene: Role of Lipopolysaccharide in Virulence and Intracellular Multiplication

Juan E. Ugalde,1 Cecilia Czibener,1,2 Mario F. Feldman,1 and Rodolfo A. Ugalde1,*

Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas-Instituto Tecnológico de Chascomús, Universidad Nacional de General San Martín, Buenos Aires,1 and Centro de Virología Animal, CEVAN, Capital Federal,2 Argentina

Received 25 February 2000/Returned for modification 12 May 2000/Accepted 4 July 2000

Smooth lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Brucella abortus has been reported to be an important virulence factor, although its precise role in pathogenesis is not yet clear. While the protective properties of LPS against complement are well accepted, there is still some controversy about the capacity of rough mutants to replicate intracellularly. The B. abortus phosphoglucomutase gene (pgm) was cloned, sequenced, and disrupted. The gene has a high index of identity to Agrobacterium tumefaciens pgm but is not part of the glycogen operon. A B. abortus null mutant lacks LPS O antigen but has an LPS core with an electrophoretic profile undistinguishable from that of the wild-type core, suggesting that glucose, galactose, or a derivative of these sugars may be part of the linkage between the core and the O antigen. This mutant is unable to survive in mice but replicates in HeLa cells, indicating that the complete LPS is not essential either for invasion or for intracellular multiplication. This behavior suggests that the LPS may play a role in extracellular survival in the animal, probably protecting the cell against complement-mediated lysis, but is not involved in intracellular survival.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: IIB-UNSAM, Av General Paz entre Constituyentes y Albarellos, P.O. Box 30 (1650) San Martín, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina. Phone: 54-11-4580-7255. Fax: 54-11-4752-9639. E-mail: rugalde{at}inti.gov.ar.

Infection and Immunity, October 2000, p. 5716-5723, Vol. 68, No. 10
0019-9567/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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