title: A gene region in Dichelobacter nodosus encoding a lipopolysaccharide epitope.
abstract: Dichelobacter nodosus is a Gram-negative anaerobic bacterium that is the causative organism of footrot in sheep. A D. nodosus locus responsible for a modification of the host lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in Escherichia coli was cloned and sequenced. Genetic studies showed that the modification occurred within the inner-core region of the host LPS, most likely to one or more of the heptose molecules. Antibodies eluted from the modified LPS reacted preferentially with the lipid-A-core region of D. nodosus LPS, suggesting that the cloned epitope was present in this region of the D. nodosus LPS. The gene responsible for the modification, IpsA, potentially encoded a polypeptide of approximately 37 kDa which was highly basic, a characteristic of enzymes which interact with the acidic inner LPS core. The IpsA gene appeared to be arranged in a complex operon with a downstream gene, prfC, which encoded a protein with similarity to E. coli peptide-chain release factor 3.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, Australia.
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Billington
authors.forename: B H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Jost
authors.forename: J I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Rood
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D000939:Epitopes / Q000235:genetics; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D005535:Foot Rot / Q000382:microbiology; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006089:Gram-Negative Anaerobic Bacteria / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000276:immunology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010454:Peptide Termination Factors / Q000235:genetics; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D000939:Epitopes; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D010454:Peptide Termination Factors