Molecular mimicry in Campylobacter jejuni: Role of the lipo-oligosaccharide core oligosaccharide in inducing anti-ganglioside antibodies

Abstract

Campylobacter jejuni is recognized as the most common identifiable pathogen associated with the development of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), an acute autoimmune-mediated disease affecting the peripheral nervous system. The immune response to ganglioside-like structures in lipo-oligosaccharides (LOSs) of certain C. jejuni strains is thought to cross-react with human nerve gangliosides and induce GBS. To study the involvement of LOSs in the pathogenesis of Campylobacter-induced GBS, we created truncated LOS molecules by inactivating the waaF gene in a GBS-associated isolate of C. jejuni. Gas Chromatography-MS analysis of the waaF mutant LOSs revealed a marked reduction in sugar content, inclu..