Disease relevance of rfaF

• In contrast to the rfaF (waaF) gene of enteric bacteria, the H. ducreyi waaF gene was not located adjacent to other genes involved in lipopolysaccharide expression [1].
• The gene previously described as lsi-1 was shown to complement an rfaF mutation in Salmonella typhimurium and has been renamed rfaF [2].
• Identification and cloning of waaF (rfaF) from Bordetella pertussis and use to generate mutants of Bordetella spp. with deep rough lipopolysaccharide [3].
• A database search against known gene sequences revealed a significant sequence similarity to the rfaF gene cloned from several Gram-negative bacteria [4].

High impact information on rfaF

• Recipients with truncated outer core via the rfaF LPS mutation increased the transfer frequency of the IncH plasmids by up to a factor of 10(3) [5].
• Addition of phosphorylethanolamine, a component of wild-type LPS, to the media decreased the frequency of transfer of R27 into wild-type and rfaF LPS mutant recipients tested [5].
• Only those mutants with an Rc or Rd2 chemotype, due to galE or rfaF mutations, respectively, gave efficiencies greater than 10(5) transformants per microgram of DNA, frequencies 8- to 630-fold higher than with smooth strains or other rough mutants [6].
• An additional open reading frame having a significant sequence similarity to the rfaD gene was found to be divergently oriented to the rfaF gene [4].
• The cloned B. japonicum open reading frame was able to functionally complement a rfaF mutant of Salmonella typhimurium SL3789 [4].

Associations of rfaF with chemical compounds

• The rfaF gene is known to encode heptosyltransferase II that transfers a second heptose to the inner core of lipopolysaccharide [4].

References