Genetic location of genes encoding enterobacterial common antigen.

A new rff mutation (rff-726) of Escherichia coli is described which affects the biosynthesis of the enterobacterial common antigen. This mutation was detected in an rfe-defective strain. A Tn10 insertion near the rfe locus was isolated to facilitate further mapping. Both mutations rfe and rff were mapped by transduction with bacteriophage P1, giving the gene order ilv rfe rff uvrD metE. The F' factor F14 was able to complement both mutations rfe and rff, whereas the F' factor F16 could complement the rfe but not the rff mutation. The rff mutation did not affect the biosynthesis of N-acetyl-D-mannosaminuronic acid, as the previously described rff mutations in Salmonella typhimurium do (H. C. Lew, H. Nikaido, and P. H. Mäkelä, J. Bacteriol. 136:227-233, 1978), and also did not affect the biosynthesis of other enterobacterial common antigen components; however, the biosynthesis of the complete enterobacterial common antigen molecule was blocked.