title: Effect of exogenous sialylation of the lipooligosaccharide of Neisseria gonorrhoeae on opsonophagocytosis.
abstract: Serum-sensitive Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains become serum resistant when grown in the presence of a sialic acid precursor, cytidine monophospho-N-acetylneuraminic acid. We examined the abilities of human neutrophils to phagocytose sialylated and nonsialylated gonococci and observed a decrease in the complement-dependent phagocytosis of sialylated gonococci compared with that of nonsialylated gonococci (50.7 versus 25.9% survival at 30 min). This decrease in opsonophagocytosis after sialylation may contribute to the pathogenicity of gonococcal infections.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Immunochemistry, University of California, San Francisco 94143.
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Mandrell
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Griffiss
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000378:metabolism*; D019158:N-Acetylneuraminic Acid; D009344:Neisseria gonorrhoeae / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology; D010587:Phagocytosis; D012794:Sialic Acids / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D012794:Sialic Acids; C023023:lipid-linked oligosaccharides; D019158:N-Acetylneuraminic Acid