TY - JOUR
T1 - Opacity determinants of Neisseria gonorrhoeae
T2 - Gene expression and chromosomal linkage to the gonococcal pilus gene
AU - Stern, Anne
AU - Nickel, Peter
AU - Meyer, Thomas F.
AU - So, Magdalene
N1 - Funding Information:
We apprecrate the expert assistance in these experiments of M. Kaiser, S. Storzbach. and I. Wilhelm and wish to thank E. Murphy and R. Novick for their supporting interest in the beginning of these studies and M. Darby for comments on the manuscript. The project is supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft grant number Me705/2-1 and the Natronal Science Foundation grant PCM8203174.
PY - 1984/6
Y1 - 1984/6
N2 - In N. gonorrhoeae, the expression of pilus and opacity (Op) proteins can be switched on and off and a single cell apparently has a whole repertoire of genes to express many serologically distinguishable protein types. We describe the isolation of several different Op genes and of nonexpressing gene equivalents, all derived from isogenic gonococcal variants. In the E. coli host, Op proteins identical with those made in the respective N. gonorrhoeae strain are produced. The Op genes map near the pilus expression locus. Genomic blotting experiments with an Op gene probe reveal complex hybridization patterns but little heterogeneity among the genes of Op variants. It appears that colonial variation involving the Op protein of N. gonorrhoeae is based on minor sequence alterations, in contrast to the pilus variation system, in which changes in the expression can be evoked by substantial genomic rearrangements.
AB - In N. gonorrhoeae, the expression of pilus and opacity (Op) proteins can be switched on and off and a single cell apparently has a whole repertoire of genes to express many serologically distinguishable protein types. We describe the isolation of several different Op genes and of nonexpressing gene equivalents, all derived from isogenic gonococcal variants. In the E. coli host, Op proteins identical with those made in the respective N. gonorrhoeae strain are produced. The Op genes map near the pilus expression locus. Genomic blotting experiments with an Op gene probe reveal complex hybridization patterns but little heterogeneity among the genes of Op variants. It appears that colonial variation involving the Op protein of N. gonorrhoeae is based on minor sequence alterations, in contrast to the pilus variation system, in which changes in the expression can be evoked by substantial genomic rearrangements.
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U2 - 10.1016/0092-8674(84)90375-1
DO - 10.1016/0092-8674(84)90375-1
M3 - Article
C2 - 6144397
AN - SCOPUS:0021195878
SN - 0092-8674
VL - 37
SP - 447
EP - 456
JO - Cell
JF - Cell
IS - 2
ER -