Disease relevance of lbgB

• These two genes, designated lbgA and lbgB, encoded predicted proteins with molecular masses of 25,788 and 40,236 Da which showed homology with proteins which function in lipopolysaccharide biosynthetic in other gram-negative bacteria [1].

High impact information on lbgB

• Strain 35000HP produces a lipooligosaccharide (LOS) that contains d-glycero-d-manno-heptose in the main oligosaccharide chain extension; the lbgB gene has been shown to encode the dd-heptosyltransferase [2].
• In a previous report, identification of tandem genes, lbgA and lbgB, that are involved in LOS biosynthesis was described (Stevens et al., Infect. Immun. 65:651-660, 1997) [3].
• In a separate study, the same gene cluster was identified and the lbgB (losB) gene was found to be required for transfer of the second sugar, D-glycero-D-manno-heptose (DD-Hep), of the major branch structure (Gibson et al., J. Bacteriol. 179:5062-5071, 1997) [3].
• Isogenic LOS mutants, constructed by the insertion of a cat cartridge into either the lbgA or the lbgB gene, expressed an LOS phenotype indistinguishable from that of the original transposon-derived LOS mutant [1].

Biological context of lbgB

• A double mutant with a deletion of the lbgA and lbgB genes yielded equivocal results when its virulence was tested in an animal model [1].

References