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Sialic acid in the lipopolysaccharide of Haemophilus influenzae : strain distribution, influence on serum resistance and structural characterization
Author(s) -
Hood Derek W.,
Makepeace Katherine,
Deadman Mary E.,
Rest Richard F.,
Thibault Pierre,
Martin Adele,
Richards James C.,
Moxon E. Richard
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
molecular microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.857
H-Index - 247
eISSN - 1365-2958
pISSN - 0950-382X
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2958.1999.01509.x
Subject(s) - sialic acid , haemophilus influenzae , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , lipopolysaccharide , strain (injury) , n acetylneuraminic acid , phenotype , mutant , pasteurellaceae , bacteria , serotype , gene , biochemistry , genetics , immunology , antibiotics , anatomy
A survey of Haemophilus influenzae strains indicated that around one‐third of capsular strains and over two‐thirds of non‐typeable strains included sialic acid in their lipopolysaccharides (LPS). Mutation of the CMP‐Neu5Ac synthetase gene ( siaB ) resulted in a sialylation‐deficient phenotype. Isogenic pairs, wild type and siaB mutant of two non‐typeable strains were used to demonstrate that sialic acid influences resistance to the killing effect of normal human serum but has little effect on attachment to, or invasion of, cultured human epithelial cells or neutrophils. We determine for the first time the site of attachment of sialic acid in the LPS of a non‐typeable strain and report that a small proportion of glycoforms include two sialic acid residues in a disaccharide unit.