Inversion of Moraxella lacunata type 4 pilin gene sequences by a Neisseria gonorrhoeae site-specific recombinase.
A plasmid library of Neisseria gonorrhoeae sequences was screened for the ability to mediate recombinations on a sequence containing the Moraxella lacunata type 4 pilin gene invertible region in Escherichia coli. A plasmid containing the N. gonorrhoeae sequence encoding the putative recombinase (gcr) was identified and sequenced. Plasmids containing gcr were able to mediate site-specific recombinations despite a weak amino acid homology to Piv, the native M. lacunata pilin gene invertase. The gcr gene is present only in pathogenic strains of Neisseria tested; however, in our assays gene knockouts of gcr did not alter the variation of surface features that play a role in the pathogenesis of N. gonorrhoeae.
Rozsa
F W
FW
Department of Microbiology, Biozentrum, University of Basel, Switzerland. rozsa@umich.edu
Meyer
T F
TF
Fussenegger
M
M
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004254:DNA Nucleotidyltransferases / Q000235:genetics*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009016:Moraxella / Q000235:genetics*; D009344:Neisseria gonorrhoeae / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D013045:Species Specificity
D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins; D004254:DNA Nucleotidyltransferases; C105286:Gcr protein, Neisseria gonorrhoeae