Truncation of Lipopolysaccharide Core Decreases <i>Yersinia pestis</i> Virulence

Abstract

The isogenic set of Yersinia pestis strains including wild-type strain 231 and its mutants with deletions of the structural genes, wabD, waaL, waaQ, waaE, and hldE, responsible for core oligosaccharide synthesis was generated using site directed mutagenesis. It was shown that gradual decrease of the core-oligosaccharide length was accompanied by reduction of mutants' virulence in subcutaneously infected mice and guinea pigs.

Keywords

• plague agent
• lps
• core
• virulence