title: Nucleotide sequence of the structural gene, tcpA, for a major pilin subunit of Vibrio cholerae.
abstract: The toxin co-regulated pilus (Tcp) of Vibrio cholerae appears to be a major protective antigen. By cosmid cloning we have isolated a number of clones capable of converting Tcp- El Tor strains of V. cholerae to Tcp+. A synthetic oligodeoxyribonucleotide probe based upon the N-terminal amino acid sequence of TcpA, has been used to localize the structural gene within the cosmid clones. Using suitable subclones, the nucleotide sequence of the tcpA gene has been determined. The gene encodes a 23.3-kDa pre-protein which in its mature form has a size of 20.3 kDa. The N-terminal leader peptide or signal sequence is atypical and does not conform with the usual rules of such sequences. The TcpA protein shows some similarities to the major pilins of the methylated phenylalanine type or type-4 pili from other bacteria; however, it is sufficiently different that it may represent a new class.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Adelaide, Australia.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Faast
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ogierman
authors.forename: U H
authors.initials: UH
authors.lastname: Stroeher
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Manning
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003360:Cosmids; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins; D010861:Fimbriae, Bacterial; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D013045:Species Specificity; D014734:Vibrio cholerae / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins