Piliation control mechanisms in Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
Gonococci (Gc) undergo pilus+ to pilus- "phase transitions" readily in vitro. In the present study we sequenced pilin mRNA from reverting, pilus- Gc by oligonucleotide primer extension and compared these pilin mRNA sequences with those expressed by their pilus+ predecessors and pilus+ revertants. The results suggest that genetic rearrangement within the pilin structural gene can generate defective pilin gene products, resulting in a pilus- phenotype. These pilus- Gc give rise to pilus+ revertants upon reconstitution of their modified pilin gene.
Bergström
S
S
Robbins
K
K
Koomey
J M
JM
Swanson
J
J
D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins; D010861:Fimbriae, Bacterial / Q000502:physiology*; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D009344:Neisseria gonorrhoeae / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D010641:Phenotype; D011487:Protein Conformation; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D012995:Solubility
D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins