Three copies of a single protein II-encoding sequence in the genome of Neisseria gonorrhoeae JS3: evidence for gene conversion and gene duplication.
Gonococci express a family of related outer membrane proteins designated protein II (P.II). These surface proteins are subject to both phase variation and antigenic variation. The P.II gene repertoire of Neisseria gonorrhoeae strain JS3 was found to consist of at least ten genes, eight of which were cloned. Sequence analysis and DNA hybridization studies revealed that one particular P.II-encoding sequence is present in three distinct, but almost identical, copies in the JS3 genome. These genes encode the P.II protein that was previously identified as P.IIc. Comparison of their sequences shows that the multiple copies of this P.IIc-encoding gene might have been generated by both gene conversion and gene duplication.
van der Ley
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Laboratory of Microbial Structure and Function, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectous Diseases, Hamilton, Montana 59840.
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D005785:Gene Conversion; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D009344:Neisseria gonorrhoeae / Q000235:genetics*; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D015183:Restriction Mapping
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; C050308:opacity proteins