Two physically and serologically distinct lipopolysaccharide profiles in strains of Bordetella pertussis and their phenotype variants

Abstract

The lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from 9 strains representing 18 phenotype variants of B. pertussis were grouped into 1 of 2 distinct profiles by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Ag staining. One group, representing the wild-type LPS profile of B. pertussis, consisted of 2 Ag-staining bands: a dominant brown-amber a band and a faster-migrating, minor, black-staining b band. The second group, representing a varient LPS profile, consisted of a single black-staining band of similar mobility to the b band in the wild-type profile. By electrophoretic transfer (Western) blot analysis, mouse antiserum raised against whole cells of Tohama I (prototype wild-type LPS strain) recognized only the a band from all strains/phenotypes possessing the wild-type LPS profile. Mouse antiserum raised against whole cells of 134 (prototype variant LPS strain) recognized all b bands, regardless of strain/phenotype and cross-reacted weakly with the a band from Tohama I. These results and results from cohemagglutination and immunodiffusion analyses support the classification of B. pertussis into 1 of 2 physiologically and serologically distinct LPS phenotypes: Lps AB for the wild-type profile and Lps B for the variant profile. The relationship of LPS type and phenotypic, or phase, variation is discussed.