GENETIC STUDIES OF BLOOD GROUP-ACTIVE ANTIGENS IN ESCHERICHIA COLI

Abstract

It is clarified that there are common antigenicities between somatic antigens of Escherichia coli 2B-V, O₆ and O₈₆ and human blood group antigens H, A, and B respectively. On the other hand, the presence of any E. coli somatic antigen and blood group-active antigen was not detected in E. coli K-12 sublines.
An Hfr his⁺ strain from E. coli K-12 was crossed with smooth E. coli his^- recipient 2B-V, O₆, and O₈₆. Most of the his⁺ recombinants which received the E. coli K-12 his⁺ genes were phenotypically rough. This finding suggests that defective E. coli K-12 rfb genes had replaced the functional rfb⁺ genes of the smooth recipients. Also these recombinants were lost the somatic antigen and blood group-active antigen of respective recipient. In the reversed cross of a his⁺ strain of E. coli donor 2B-V, O₆, and O₈₆ with an E. coli K-12 his^- recipient, most recombinants which received the his⁺ (rfb) genes were smooth and expressed a somatic antigen and blood group-active antigen of the respective donor strain, indicating that the parental E. coli K-12 has the capacity to attach E. coli 2B-V-, O₆- or O₈₆- specific repeating units. It is concluded that in E. coli the genes for somatic antigen and blood group-active antigen biosynthesis in strains of 2B-V, O₆, and O₈₆ are near his locus.