A role for sulfite in inducing surface changes in Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

Addition of pyruvate to growth medium failed to induce the changes in Neisseria gonorrhoeae that have been reported previously. Addition of 3.8 mM sulfite or 1.3 mM sulfite plus 14 mM pyruvate restored the medium's reactivity in a test for cysteine and its ability to induce changes in N. gonorrhoeae. The induced changes that were restored were (i) increased colonial opacity and roughness, (ii) increased sensitivity to killing by normal human serum, and (iii) electrophoretic changes that may represent changes in lipopolysaccharide. Further characterization of the electrophoretic changes showed that the bands were resistant to treatment with proteinase K, that they were not affected by EDTA and urea, and that they were not dependent upon the stage of growth.