Coexistence of two distinct versions of O-antigen polymerase, Wzy-alpha and Wzy-beta, in Pseudomonas aeruginosa serogroup O2 and their contributions to cell surface diversity.

Assembly of B-band lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in Pseudomonas aeruginosa follows a Wzy-dependent pathway, requiring the O-antigen polymerase Wzy and other proteins. The peptide sequences of the wzy(alpha) product from strains of serotypes O2, O5, and O16 are identical, but the O units in O5 are alpha-glycosidically linked, while those in O2 and O16 are beta-linked. We hypothesized that a derivative of the D3 bacteriophage wzy(beta) is present in the chromosomes of O2 and O16 and that this gene is responsible for the beta-linkage.