Cell wall lipopolysaccharide response to the ColIb plasmid mutants.

Mutants of ColIb plasmid affected the synthesis of O-side chains of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) in Salmonella. The plasmid srd 25 (defective in colicin synthesis) caused a significant decline of rhamnose and mannose content and lack of abequose in LPS of S. typhimurium. The number of repeating units in O-side chains was decreased after the indroduction of srd 25. Cultures of S. typhimurium and S. enteritidis harboring drd2 (derepressed in colicin production) polymerised dideoxyhexose-defective O-side chains i.e. deprived of abequose and tyvelose, respectively. In dideoxyhexoseless S. meleagridis the content of rhamnose and mannose were reduced. The information for the alterations of Salmonella LPS was contained in the plasmid genome. In the wild-type plasmids the genes controlling the O-antigen changes were not expressed.