title: Altered antigenicity is seen in the lipopolysaccharide profile of non-serotypeable Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans strains.
abstract: Non-serotypeable Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans strains may be derived from the serotypeable ones. In the present study, we compared the outer membrane proteins (OMPs) and lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) of serotypeable and non-serotypeable A. actinomycetemcomitans strains (n=24) of the same genotype in the same subject (n=6) to find out if alterations on the cell-surface contribute to the non-serotypeability. Serotypeable and non-serotypeable A. actinomycetemcomitans strains showed great similarity in the OMP patterns both within and between subjects. Using serotype-specific antisera, clear immunoblotting LPS profiles in the O-antigenic region were seen in serotype b and c strains but not in non-serotypeable strains from the same subjects. The results suggest that changes in LPS lead to the altered antigenicity of non-serotypeable A. actinomycetemcomitans strains.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Dentistry, P.O. Box 41, University of Helsinki, FIN-00014, Helsinki, Finland. susanna.paju@helsinki.fi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Paju
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saarela
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jousimies-Somer
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Uitto
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Asikainen
mesh_terms: D000189:Actinobacillus Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D000328:Adult; D016976:Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans / Q000145:classification* / Q000276:immunology*; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008875:Middle Aged; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D012703:Serotyping
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides