Isolation of a Lipopolysaccharide Mutant of Neisseria gonorrhoeae: An Analysis of the Antigenic and Biologic Differences

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Abstract
Analysis of the surface constituents of a pyocin 611 131-resistant variant of strain no. JW-31 of Neisseria gonorrhoeae revealed substantial differences in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) but no changes in the auxotype or outer-membrane proteins. Immunodiffusion and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay showed that the variant strain (no. JW-31R) lost both the LPS serotype and the variable antigens while retaining at least a portion of the common determinant. The use of monoclonal antibody indicated that LPSs from strain no. JW-31R and pyocin 611 131-resistant strains of other LPS serotypes lack a n-galactosaminyl-n-galactopyranosyl-n-glucose moiety. The LPS-derived polysaccharide from strain no. JW-31 binds to wheat-germ lectin in precipitin and inhibition systems, whereas the JW-31R polysaccharide exhibits a markedly reduced affinity. In the presence of normal human serum, 99% of strain no. JW-31R was killed within 20 min and strain no. JW-31 was not.