title: The virulence-associated gonococcal H.8 gene encodes 14 tandemly repeated pentapeptides.
abstract: H.8 is a virulence-associated, surface-exposed immunogenic macromolecule composed of lipid and protein, common to Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitidis. The H.8 DNA sequence predicted a 6.9 kD peptide comprising 14 tandemly repeated pentameric sequences. Ten were identical: Pro, Ala, Ala, Glu, Ala. Also predicted was a lipoprotein leader consensus sequence which probably specified acylation since the Escherichia coli-expressed protein was tightly associated with lipid. Lipid appeared to contribute significantly to H.8 antigen's electrophoretic mobility. This is the first description of a prokaryotic outer membrane protein composed solely of tandem repeats. Furthermore, DNA encoding this repeat appears to have been duplicated and translocated into another neisserial gene encoding an azurin.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Microbial Structure and Function, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Baehr
authors.forename: E C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Gotschlich
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Hitchcock
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D001400:Azurin / Q000235:genetics; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009344:Neisseria gonorrhoeae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D012394:Rosaniline Dyes; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; C055700:H.8 protein (Neisseria); D008074:Lipoproteins; D012394:Rosaniline Dyes; D001400:Azurin; C004692:coomassie Brilliant Blue