Cytidine 5′-monophospho-N-acetyl neuraminic acid and a low molecular weight factor from human blood cells induce lipopolysaccharide alteration in gonococci when conferring resistance to killing by human serum

• DOI: 10.1016/0882-4010(88)90103-9
• Publication Date: 2004-04-19T18:21:09Z
• Authors: Nicholas J. Parsons; Pankaj V. Patel; Eng L. Tan; Joao R.C. Andrade; Christine A. Nairn; Morris Goldner; Jeffrey A. Cole; Harry Smith
• Keywords: Lipopolysaccharides; 0301 basic medicine; Antibodies, Bacterial; Immunity, Innate; Neisseria gonorrhoeae; 3. Good health; Biological Factors; 03 medical and health sciences; Neutralization Tests; Cytidine Monophosphate N-Acetylneuraminic Acid; Sialic Acids; Humans; Disease Susceptibility

Recently evidence has been obtained that a minute amount of cytidine 5'-monophospho-N-acetyl neuraminic acid (CMP-NANA) or a closely related compound is the low Mr factor in human red blood cells which induces Neisseria gonorrhoeae (BS4(agar] to resistance to killing by fresh human serum. Induction of gonococci to resistance by both CMP-NANA and semi-purified low Mr factor from red blood cells was accompanied by a 35-55% reduction of silver staining of lipopolysaccharide separated in SDS-PAGE gels of proteinase K digests. These alterations in lipopolysaccharide are probably responsible for conferring serum resistance. However, lipopolysaccharide-containing digests from resistant as well as from susceptible gonococci neutralised serum bactericidal activity. These observations may have wider implications since CMP-NANA is a sialylating agent wide-spread in mammalian tissues and LPS is ubiquitous amongst Gram-negative pathogens.