Isolation of the periplasm of Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
The periplasm of Neisseria gonorrhoeae should be similar to other Gram-negative bacteria, but no published reports confirm this assumption. We used a periplasmic isolation procedure developed in Escherichia coli to release the periplasmic contents of N. gonorrhoeae. The resultant periplasmic extract lacked lipopolysaccharide, protein markers of inner or outer membranes, surface-radiolabelled protein components, or ribosomal proteins. The periplasmic extract contained a single haem protein believed to be a c-type cytochrome known to exist in the periplasm of other Gram-negative species, and retained significant alkaline phosphatase activity. The dominant protein species released in the periplasmic extract was the gonococcal homologue of elongation factor Tu, a major component released in similar periplasmic extracts of E. coli. These data showed that the extraction procedure selectively released periplasmic components and that the gonococcal periplasm was comparable to that of E. coli. Further analysis of the gonococcal periplasm may provide important insights into the physiology of this pathogen of humans.
Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula 59812.
R C
RC
Judd
S F
SF
Porcella
D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002458:Cell Fractionation; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006420:Hemeproteins / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009344:Neisseria gonorrhoeae / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010444:Peptide Elongation Factor Tu / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013045:Species Specificity
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D006420:Hemeproteins; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase; D010444:Peptide Elongation Factor Tu