title: Complete genetic organization and functional aspects of the Escherichia coli S fimbrial adhesion determinant: nucleotide sequence of the genes sfa B, C, D, E, F.
abstract: The S fimbrial adhesin (sfa) determinant of E. coli comprises nine genes situated on a stretch of 7.9 kilobases (kb) DNA. Here the nucleotide sequence of the genes sfa B and sfa C situated proximal to the main structural gene sfaA is described. Sfa-LacZ fusions show that the two genes are transcribed in opposite directions. The isolation of mutants in the proximal region of the sfa gene cluster, the construction of sfa-phoA gene fusions and subsequent transcomplementation studies indicated that the genes sfa B and sfa C play a role in regulation of the sfa determinant. In addition the nucleotide sequence of the genes sfa D, sfa E and sfa F situated between the genes sfa A and sfa G responsible for S subunit proteins, were determined. It is suggested that these genes are involved in transport and assembly of fimbrial subunits. Thus the entire genetic organization of the sfa determinant is presented and compared with the gene clusters coding for P fimbriae (pap), F1C fimbriae (foc) and type I fimbriae (fim). The evolutionary relationship of fimbrial adhesion determinants is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Genetik und Mikrobiologie, University of Würzburg, Germany.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schmoll
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Morschhäuser
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ott
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ludwig
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: van Die
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hacker
mesh_terms: D018830:Adhesins, Escherichia coli; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics*; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D005809:Genes, Regulator; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D001616:beta-Galactosidase / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D018830:Adhesins, Escherichia coli; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C064830:SfaS protein, E coli; D001616:beta-Galactosidase