title: Variable expression of the Opc outer membrane protein in Neisseria meningitidis is caused by size variation of a promoter containing poly-cytidine.
abstract: Opa proteins of Neisseria meningitidis exhibit translational phase variation via addition or deletion of repetitive coding repeat units within the DNA encoding the protein leader sequence. In contrast, Opc phase variation is the result of transcriptional regulation. Transcription starts 13 nucleotides after the -10 region of an unusual promoter sequence containing a variable number of contiguous cytidine residues and lacking a -35 region. Efficient expression of Opc occurred in strains with 12 to 13 cytidine residues, intermediate expression in strains with 11 or 14 residues and no expression with < or = 10 or > or = 15 residues. This unusual regulation may have evolved because the Opc protein enables meningococcal invasion and is immunogenic.
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck Institut für molekulare Genetik, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sarkari
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pandit
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Moxon
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Achtman
mesh_terms: D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D001483:Base Sequence; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009345:Neisseria meningitidis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D011066:Poly C; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; C074517:opc protein, bacteria; D011066:Poly C