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  • American Physical Society  (11)
  • Blackwell Science Ltd  (11)
  • EMBO Press
  • 1
    Digitale Medien
    Digitale Medien
    Oxford, UK : Blackwell Science Ltd
    Molecular microbiology 37 (2000), S. 0 
    ISSN: 1365-2958
    Quelle: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Thema: Biologie , Medizin
    Notizen: The pilus of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (the gonococcus Gc), the causative agent of gonorrhoea, promotes attachment of the gonococcus to the host epithelium and is essential for the establishment of disease. The ability of N. gonorrhoeae to infect previously exposed individuals is partially due to pilus antigenic variation. In addition, variation of the pilus has been proposed to function in the adaptation of the gonococcus to host environments. Previously, we described the development of a competitive reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR assay that quantifies the frequency of pilin antigenic variation within a gonococcal population. Using this assay, the effect of different biologically relevant environmental conditions on the frequency of pilin antigenic variation was tested. Of the environmental conditions examined in vitro, only limited iron affected a significant change in the frequency of antigenic variation. Further investigation revealed that an observed increase in pilin antigenic variation reflected an increase in other DNA recombination and DNA repair processes within iron-starved cultures. In addition, this low iron-induced increase was determined to be independent of changes in RecA expression and was observed in a Fur mutant strain. As gonococci encounter conditions of low iron during infection, these data suggest that iron-limitation signals for increased recombinational events that are important for gonococcal pathogenesis.
    Materialart: Digitale Medien
    Standort Signatur Erwartet Verfügbarkeit
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  • 2
    Digitale Medien
    Digitale Medien
    Oxford, UK : Blackwell Science Ltd
    Molecular microbiology 37 (2000), S. 0 
    ISSN: 1365-2958
    Quelle: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Thema: Biologie , Medizin
    Notizen: The pilus antigenic variation (Av) system of Neisseria gonorrhoeae is one of several high-frequency variation systems that utilize gene conversion to switch between numerous forms of an antigen on the cell surface. We have tested three predictions of the first models that explain the movement of DNA during pilin Av: (i) Av requires two recombinations at short regions of identity, (ii) circular intermediates exist that carry pilE/pilS hybrid loci and (iii) these pilE/pilS hybrid loci target the pilS sequences to a recipient pilE gene. We confirm that normal pilin Av utilizes recombination at very short regions of DNA sequence identity and that these recombination events can occur independent of homologous recombination functions. We have isolated covalently closed circular DNA molecules carrying hybrid pilin loci, but propose that an alternative hybrid molecule is the intermediate of pilin Av. Our most striking finding is that transformation of isolated pilE/pilS hybrid loci targets the pilS sequences of the hybrid to a recipient pilE at frequencies much higher than normal recombination frequencies. These results show that the different steps of a model that explains pilin Av can be separately tested to support the validity of these novel models that account for the high-frequency gene conversions that mediate pilin Av.
    Materialart: Digitale Medien
    Standort Signatur Erwartet Verfügbarkeit
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  • 3
    ISSN: 1365-2958
    Quelle: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Thema: Biologie , Medizin
    Notizen: Neisseria gonorrhoeae (the gonococcus) is the causative agent of the sexually transmitted disease gonorrhoea. Most gonococcal infections remain localized to the genital tract but, in a small proportion of untreated cases, the bacterium becomes systemic to produce the serious complication of disseminated gonococcal infection (DGI). We have identified a large region of chromosomal DNA in N. gonorrhoeae that is not found in a subset of gonococcal isolates (a genetic island), in the closely related pathogen, Neisseria meningitidis or in commensal Neisseria that do not usually cause disease. Certain versions of the island carry a serum resistance locus and a gene for the production of a cytotoxin; these versions of the island are found preferentially in DGI isolates. All versions of the genetic island encode homologues of F factor conjugation proteins, suggesting that, like some other pathogenicity islands, this region encodes a conjugation-like secretion system. Consistent with this hypothesis, a wild-type strain released large amounts of DNA into the medium during exponential growth without cell lysis, whereas an isogenic strain mutated in a peptidoglycan hydrolase gene (atlA) was drastically reduced in its ability to donate DNA for transformation during growth. This genetic island constitutes the first major discriminating factor between the gonococcus and the other Neisseria and carries genes for providing DNA for genetic transformation.
    Materialart: Digitale Medien
    Standort Signatur Erwartet Verfügbarkeit
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  • 4
    Digitale Medien
    Digitale Medien
    Oxford, UK : Blackwell Science Ltd
    Molecular microbiology 25 (1997), S. 0 
    ISSN: 1365-2958
    Quelle: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Thema: Biologie , Medizin
    Notizen: We have identified a gene encoding an autolysin (atlA) from Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The deduced amino acid sequence of AtlA shows significant similarity to the peptidoglycan degrading transglycosylases (endolysins) of bacteriophages lambda and P2, suggesting that the encoded protein also functions in peptidoglycan hydrolysis. An atlA mutant was identical to the wild-type strain in exponential growth rate, but demonstrated reduced lysis and peptidoglycan turnover in the stationary phase of growth. When transferred into a buffer solution, at a pH non-permissive for other gonococcal autolysins, an autolytic activity was detectable in the wild-type strain that was not present in the mutant. The most dramatic phenotype of the mutant occurred after extended time in stationary phase. After approximately 16 h in stationary phase, both strains underwent an apparent replication event, after which the wild-type strain died rapidly whereas the atlA mutant survived considerably longer. Even after both the wild-type and mutant cells were dead, many of the mutant cells maintained intact morphology, whereas the wild-type cells were lysed. These results suggest that AtlA is a peptidoglycan transglycosylase related to bacteriophage endolysins and acts as an autolysin in the stationary phase.
    Materialart: Digitale Medien
    Standort Signatur Erwartet Verfügbarkeit
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  • 5
    ISSN: 1365-2958
    Quelle: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Thema: Biologie , Medizin
    Notizen: Gonococcal pilus antigenic and phase variation result from unidirectional, RecA-dependent recombination of DNA sequences from a silent pilin copy (pilS ) into the expressed pilin gene (pilE ). To develop a quantitative assay for pilin gene recombination that is independent of phase variation, a promoterless cat gene was inserted into pilS, and recombination of ′cat into pilE was detected by selection of chloramphenicol-resistant (CmR) variants expressing ′cat from the pilin promoter. Although RecA-dependent CmR variants occurred, none were generated by the simple transfer of ′cat into pilE. Instead, each CmR variant contained a new pilin locus that was a hybrid of sequences from the pilE and the pilS1::′cat loci in addition to the two starting loci. Therefore, this system could not be used to quantify antigenic variation. However, combined studies of these hybrid loci and of recombination products generated during additional pilS mutational analyses demonstrated that both the size and position of an insertion in pilS differentially affect pilin recombination. Also, the hybrid loci appear to be intermediates of antigenic variation. This enabled the creation of molecular models for the recombination reactions that result in pilin antigenic variation.
    Materialart: Digitale Medien
    Standort Signatur Erwartet Verfügbarkeit
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  • 6
    Digitale Medien
    Digitale Medien
    Oxford, UK : Blackwell Science Ltd
    Molecular microbiology 57 (2005), S. 0 
    ISSN: 1365-2958
    Quelle: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Thema: Biologie , Medizin
    Notizen: It has previously been shown that the frequency of pilin antigenic variation in Neisseria gonorrhoeae (the gonococcus, Gc) is regulated by iron availability. To identify factors involved in pilin variation in an iron-dependent or an iron-independent manner, we conducted a genetic screen of transposon-mutated gonococci using a pilus-dependent colony morphology phenotype to detect antigenic variation deficient mutants. Forty-six total mutants representing insertions in 30 different genes were shown to have reduced colony morphology changes resulting from impaired pilin variation. Five mutants exhibited an iron-dependent decrease in pilin variation, while the remaining 41 displayed an iron-independent decrease in pilin variation. Based on the levels of antigenic variation impairment, we defined the genes as being essential for, important for, or involved in antigenic variation. DNA repair and DNA transformation frequencies of each mutant were measured to determine whether other recombination-based processes were also affected in the mutants. Each mutant was placed into one of six classes based on their pilin variation, DNA repair and DNA transformation phenotypes. Among the many genes identified, recR is shown to be an additional member of the gonococcal RecF-like recombination pathway. In addition, recG and ruvA represent the first evidence that the processing of Holliday junctions is required for pilin antigenic variation. Moreover, two independent insertions in a non-coding region upstream of the pilE gene suggest that cis-acting sequences important for pilin variation are found in that region. Finally, insertions that effect expression of the thrB and thrC genes suggest that molecules in the threonine biosynthetic pathway are important for pilin variation. Many of the other genes identified in this genetic screen do not have an obvious role in pilin variation, DNA repair, or DNA transformation.
    Materialart: Digitale Medien
    Standort Signatur Erwartet Verfügbarkeit
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  • 7
    ISSN: 1365-2958
    Quelle: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Thema: Biologie , Medizin
    Notizen: The penC resistance gene was previously characterized in an FA19 penA mtrR penB gonococcal strain (PR100) as a spontaneous mutation that increased resistance to penicillin and tetracycline. We show here that antibiotic resistance mediated by penC is the result of a Glu-666 to Lys missense mutation in the pilQ  gene  that  interferes  with  the  formation  of the SDS-resistant high-molecular-mass PilQ secretin complex, disrupts piliation and decreases transformation frequency by 50-fold. Deletion of pilQ in PR100 confers the same level of antibiotic resistance as the penC mutation, but increased resistance was  observed  only  in  strains  containing  the mtrR and penB resistance determinants. Site-saturation mutagenesis of Glu-666 revealed that only acidic or amidated amino acids at this position preserved PilQ function. Consistent with early studies suggesting the importance of cysteine residues for stability of the PilQ multimer, mutation of either of the two cysteine residues in FA19 PilQ led to a similar phenotype as penC: increased antibiotic resistance, loss of piliation, intermediate levels of transformation competence and absence of SDS-resistant PilQ oligomers. These data show that a functional secretin complex can enhance the entry of antibiotics into the cell and suggest that the PilQ oligomer forms a pore in the outer membrane through which antibiotics diffuse into the periplasm.
    Materialart: Digitale Medien
    Standort Signatur Erwartet Verfügbarkeit
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  • 8
    ISSN: 1365-2958
    Quelle: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Thema: Biologie , Medizin
    Materialart: Digitale Medien
    Standort Signatur Erwartet Verfügbarkeit
    BibTip Andere fanden auch interessant ...
  • 9
    Digitale Medien
    Digitale Medien
    Oxford, UK : Blackwell Science Ltd
    Molecular microbiology 58 (2005), S. 0 
    ISSN: 1365-2958
    Quelle: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Thema: Biologie , Medizin
    Notizen: The pilin antigenic variation (Av) system of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Gc) mediates unidirectional DNA recombination from silent gene copies into the pilin expression locus. A DNA sequencing assay was developed to accurately measure pilin Av in a population of Gc strain FA1090 arising from a defined pilin progenitor under non-selective culture conditions. This assay employs a piliated parental Gc variant with a recA allele whose promoter is replaced by lac-regulatory elements, allowing for controlled induction of pilin Av. From this assay, the frequency of pilin Av was measured as 0.13 recombination events per cell, with a corresponding rate of pilin Av of 4 × 10−3 events per cell per generation. Most pilin variants retained the parental piliation phenotype, providing the first comprehensive analysis of piliated variants arising from a piliated progenitor. Sequence analysis of pilin variants revealed that a subset of possible recombination events predominated, which differed between piliated and non-piliated progeny. Pilin Av exhibits the highest reported frequency of any pathogenic gene conversion system and can account for the extensive pilin variation detected during human infection.
    Materialart: Digitale Medien
    Standort Signatur Erwartet Verfügbarkeit
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  • 10
    ISSN: 1365-2958
    Quelle: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Thema: Biologie , Medizin
    Notizen: Symptomatic gonococcal infection, caused by the pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Gc), is characterized by the influx of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) to the site of infection. Although PMNs possess several mechanisms of oxidative killing, intact Gc can be found associated with PMNs, suggesting that gonococcal defences against oxidative stress are crucial for its ability to evade killing by PMNs. We used microarrays to identify genes that were differentially expressed after transient exposure of Gc to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Of the 75 genes found to be upregulated after H2O2 treatment, over one-quarter, including two of the most highly upregulated genes (NGO1686 and NGO554), were predicted to encode proteins with unknown functions. Further characterization of a subset of these upregulated genes demonstrated that NGO1686, a putative zinc metalloprotease, protects against oxidative damage caused by both H2O2 and cumene hydroperoxide, and that NGO554, a Gc-specific protein, acts to protect against damage caused by high levels of H2O2. Our current study also ascribes a role in H2O2 damage protection to recN, a gene previously characterized for its role in DNA repair. A PMN survival assay demonstrated that the recN and NGO1686 mutants were more susceptible to killing than the parent strain FA1090. These results define for the first time the robust transcriptional response to H2O2 by this strict human pathogen and underscore the importance of this system for survival to host defences.
    Materialart: Digitale Medien
    Standort Signatur Erwartet Verfügbarkeit
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