title: Antigenic heterogeneity of lipopolysaccharides from Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter fetus.
abstract: The lipopolysaccharide (LPS) structure of Campylobacter spp. can be visualized with polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis by examining proteinase K-treated whole cell lysates. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis LPS profiles of C. jejuni strains are rough type with low concentrations of low-molecular-weight polysaccharide side chains, serum-resistant C. fetus strains have smooth-type LPS, and serum-sensitive C. fetus strains have rough-type LPS. We electroblotted the proteinase K-treated whole cell lysates of 17 C. jejuni and 9 C. fetus strains from polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to nitrocellulose paper to examine antigenicity to immune rabbit sera. There was virtually no antigenic cross-reactivity of C. jejuni and C. fetus LPS. Among C. jejuni strains, core LPS structures were cross-reactive, but the O-polysaccharide side chains were best recognized by homologous antisera. Antisera to several serum-resistant C. fetus strains recognized only the polysaccharide side-chain regions of serum-resistant strains and no part of the LPS from the sensitive strain. Antiserum raised against a serum-sensitive C. fetus strain but not homologous antisera recognized the core region of the LPS of the serum-resistant C. fetus strains. These findings suggest that core LPS antigens are widely shared within C. fetus subsp. fetus strains but that in the serum-resistant strains this core region is not surface exposed and therefore not immunogenic to rabbits infected with whole cells.
authors.forename: G I
authors.initials: GI
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Hopkins
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Blaser
mesh_terms: D001770:Blood Bactericidal Activity; D002168:Campylobacter fetus / Q000276:immunology*; D003429:Cross Reactions; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D000939:Epitopes; D007106:Immune Sera; D007158:Immunologic Techniques; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology*; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D000939:Epitopes; D007106:Immune Sera; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides