title: A gene (wbbL) from Serratia marcescens N28b (O4) complements the rfb-50 mutation of Escherichia coli K-12 derivatives.
abstract: A cosmid-based genomic library of Serratia marcescens N28b was introduced into Escherichia coli DH5alpha, and clones were screened for serum resistance. One clone was found resistant to serum, to bacteriocin 28b, and to bacteriophages TuIa and TuIb. This clone also showed O antigen in its lipopolysaccharide. Subcloning and sequencing experiments showed that a 2,124-bp DNA fragment containing the rmlD and wbbL genes was responsible for the observed phenotypes. On the basis of amino acid similarity, we suggest that the 288-residue RmlD protein is a dTDP-L-rhamnose synthase. Plasmid pJT102, containing only the wbbL gene, was able to induce O16-antigen production and serum resistance in E. coli DH5alpha. These results suggest that the 282-residue WbbL protein is a rhamnosyltransferase able to complement the rJb-50 mutation in E. coli K-12 derivatives, despite the low level of amino acid identity between WbbL and the E. coli rhamnosyltransferase (24.80%). S. marcescens N28b rmlD and wbbL mutants were constructed by mobilization of suicide plasmids containing a portion of rmlD or wbbL. These insertion mutants were unable to produce O antigen; since strain N28b produces O4 antigen, these results suggest that both genes are involved in O4-antigen biosynthesis.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Rubirés
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Saigi
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Piqué
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Climent
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Merino
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Albertí
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Tomás
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Regué
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D001430:Bacteriocins / Q000494:pharmacology; D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000472:pathogenicity; D001483:Base Sequence; D001770:Blood Bactericidal Activity; D002237:Carbohydrate Dehydrogenases / Q000235:genetics; D002238:Carbohydrate Epimerases / Q000235:genetics*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D015698:Genomic Library; D016695:Glycosyltransferases; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D009154:Mutation; D019081:O Antigens / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010641:Phenotype; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012706:Serratia marcescens / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001430:Bacteriocins; D019081:O Antigens; C076729:bss protein, bacteria; D002237:Carbohydrate Dehydrogenases; C107144:dTDP-4-dehydrorhamnose reductase; D016695:Glycosyltransferases; C109411:WbbL protein, Serratia marcescens; D002238:Carbohydrate Epimerases; C020092:dTDP-4-ketorhamnose 3,5-epimerase