The interplay between four surface-expressed virulence factors of Neisseria meningitidis (pili, Opc, capsule and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)) in host cell adhesion and invasion was examined using derivatives of a serogroup B strain, MC58, created by mutation (capsule, Opc) and selection of variants. To examine the role of Opc and of additional expression of pili, bacteria lacking the expression of Opa proteins were used. The effects of different LPS structures were examined in variants expressing either sialylated (L3 immunotype) or truncated non-sialylated (L8 immunotype) LPS. Studies showed that (i) pili were essential for meningococcal interactions with host cells in both capsulate and acapsulate bacteria with the sialylated L3 LPS immunotype, (ii) the Opc-mediated invasion of host cells by piliated and non-piliated bacteria was observed only in acapsulate organisms with L8 LPS immunotype, and (iii) expression of pili in Opc-expressing bacteria resulted in increased invasion. Investigations on the mechanisms of cellular invasion indicated that the Opc-mediated invasion was dependent on the presence of serum in the incubation medium and was mediated by serum proteins with arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) sequence. Cellular invasion in piliated Opc+ phenotype also required bridging molecules containing the RGD recognition sequence and appeared to involve the integrin alpha v beta 3 as a target receptor on endothelial cells. These studies extend the previous observations on variants of a serogroup A strain (C751) and show that Opc mediates cellular invasion in distinct meningococcal strains and provide confirmation of its mechanism of action. This is the first investigation that evaluates, using derivatives of a single strain, the interplay between four meningococcal surface virulence factors in host cell invasion.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a major determinant of Neisseria, meningitidis virulence. A key feature of meningococcal LPS is the phase-variable expression of terminal structures which are proposed to have disparate roles in pathogenesis. In order to identify the biosynthetic genes for terminal LPS structures and the control mechanisms for their phase-variable expression, the lic2A gene, which is involved in LPS biosynthesis in Haemophilus influenzae, was used as a hybridization probe to identify a homologous gene in N. meningitidis strain MC58. The homologous region of DNA was cloned and nucleotide sequence analysis revealed three open reading frames (ORFs), two of which were homologous to the H. influenzae lic2A gene. All three ORFs were mutagenized by the insertion of antibiotic-resistance cassettes and the LPS from these mutant strains was analysed to determine if the genes had a role in LPS biosynthesis. Immunological and tricine-SDS-PAGE analysis of LPS from the mutant strains indicated that all three genes were probably transferases in the biosynthesis of the terminal lacto-N-neotetraose structure of meningococcal LPS. The first ORF of the locus contains a homopolymeric tract of 14 guanosine residues within the 5'-end of the coding sequence. As the lacto-N-neotetraose structure in meningococcal LPS is subject to phase-variable expression, colonies that no longer expressed the terminal structure, as determined by monoclonal antibody binding, were isolated. Analysis of an 'off' phase variant revealed a change in the number of guanosine residues resulting in a frameshift mutation, indicating that a slipped-strand mispairing mechanism, operating in the first ORF, controls the phase-variable expression of lacto-N-neotetraose.

Certain environmental microorganisms can cause severe human infections, even in the absence of an obvious requirement for transition through an animal host for replication (“accidental virulence”). To understand this process, we compared eleven isolate genomes of Burkholderia pseudomallei (Bp), a tropical soil microbe and causative agent of the human and animal disease melioidosis. We found evidence for the existence of several new genes in the Bp reference genome, identifying 282 novel genes supported by at least two independent lines of supporting evidence (mRNA transcripts, database homologs, and presence of ribosomal binding sites) and 81 novel genes supported by all three lines. Within the Bp core genome, 211 genes exhibited significant levels of positive selection (4.5%), distributed across many cellular pathways including carbohydrate and secondary metabolism. Functional experiments revealed that certain positively selected genes might enhance mammalian virulence by interacting with host cellular pathways or utilizing host nutrients. Evolutionary modifications improving Bp environmental fitness may thus have indirectly facilitated the ability of Bp to colonize and survive in mammalian hosts. These findings improve our understanding of the pathogenesis of melioidosis, and establish Bp as a model system for studying the genetics of accidental virulence.

Moraxella catarrhalis is a significant cause of otitis media and exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Here, we characterize a phase-variable DNA methyltransferase (ModM), which contains 5'-CAAC-3' repeats in its open reading frame that mediate high-frequency mutation resulting in reversible on/off switching of ModM expression. Three modM alleles have been identified (modM1-3), with modM2 being the most commonly found allele. Using single-molecule, real-time (SMRT) genome sequencing and methylome analysis, we have determined that the ModM2 methylation target is 5'-GAR(m6)AC-3', and 100% of these sites are methylated in the genome of the M. catarrhalis 25239 ModM2 on strain. Proteomic analysis of ModM2 on and off variants revealed that ModM2 regulates expression of multiple genes that have potential roles in colonization, infection, and protection against host defenses. Investigation of the distribution of modM alleles in a panel of M. catarrhalis strains, isolated from the nasopharynx of healthy children or middle ear effusions from patients with otitis media, revealed a statistically significant association of modM3 with otitis media isolates. The modulation of gene expression via the ModM phase-variable regulon (phasevarion), and the significant association of the modM3 allele with otitis media, suggests a key role for ModM phasevarions in the pathogenesis of this organism.