Chromosomal DNA deletions explain phenotypic characteristics of two antigenic variants, phase II and RSA 514 (crazy), of the Coxiella burnetii nine mile strain.

ABSTRACT: After repeated passages through embyronated eggs, the Nine Mile strain of Coxiella burnetii exhibits antigenic variation, a loss of virulence characteristics, and transition to a truncated lipopolysaccharide (LPS) structure. In two independently derived strains, Nine Mile phase II and RSA 514, these phenotypic changes were accompanied by a large chromosomal deletion (M. H. Vodkin and J. C. Williams, J. Gen. Microbiol. 132:2587-2594, 1986). In the work reported here, additional screening of a cosmid bank prepared from the wild-type strain was used to map the deletion termini of both mutant strains and to accumulate all the segments of DNA that comprise the two deletions. The corresponding DNAs were then sequenced and annotated. The Nine Mile phase II deletion was completely nested within th

SUBMITTER: Hoover TA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC132984 | biostudies-literature | 2002 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature