title: Viability of a capsule- and lipopolysaccharide-deficient mutant of Neisseria meningitidis.
abstract: Neisseria meningitidis is the only lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-producing gram-negative bacterial species shown to be viable also without LPS. It was thought that the presence of capsular polysaccharide is necessary for this unusual feature. However, we show now that no part of the capsule gene cluster is required for maintaining LPS deficiency in N. meningitidis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Microbiology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands. M.P.Bos@bio.uu.nl
authors.forename: Martine P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Bos
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tommassen
mesh_terms: D000217:Acyltransferases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016667:Bacterial Capsules / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D017353:Gene Deletion; D005819:Genetic Markers; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005810:Multigene Family; D009345:Neisseria meningitidis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D000217:Acyltransferases; C050304:acyl-(acyl-carrier-protein)-UDP-N-acetylglucosamine acyltransferase