Effect of O antigen glycosyl isomerase gene mutation on biological property and pathogenicity of Burkholderia pseudomallei strain BPC006.

Burkholderia pseudomallei, an intracellular pathogen, is responsible for melioidosis, a zoonotic disease. Its pathogenesis involves several virulence factors, among which lipopolysaccharide (LPS) plays a crucial role. Our research reveals that the O antigen present within the LPS significantly regulates the host immune response. In a previous study, we obtained a B. pseudomallei mutant strain ΔwbiI. Here, the purification of LPS from ΔwbiI and a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis were conducted. The results confirmed the absence of specific sugar 6-deoxy-Talp, which is a typical component of the O antigen in the wild type B. pseudomallei. Our findings underscore the potent impact the O antigen exerts on the virulence of B. pseudomallei. The ΔwbiI strain displayed significantly increased invasiveness and cytotoxicity in vitro. This enhanced cytotoxicity seems to be related to the exposure of lipid A and an increased cell membrane hydrophobicity resulting from the deletion of the O antigen. Additionally, in mouse models, the ΔwbiI strain resulted in a heightened host lethality and an excessive inflammatory response in mice. These findings indicate that the O-antigenic polysaccharide moiety of B. pseudomallei plays a role in its pathogenicity in vitro and in vivo.