title: Frequency of pilin antigenic variation in Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
abstract: Variation of the pilus of Neisseria gonorrhoeae occurs by the recombination of silent pilin DNA sequences into the pilin expression locus. We have developed a quantitative, competitive reverse transcription-PCR assay which measures the frequency of pilin antigenic variation independently of changes in gonococcal colony morphology and have determined this frequency within a gonococcal population. We have also studied the frequency of antigenic variation during growth and have concluded that growth does not dramatically influence the frequency of pilin antigenic variation, although a reproducible, twofold increase is observed upon the transition into late log/stationary phase.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology-Immunology, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, Illinois 60611, USA.
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Serkin
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Seifert
mesh_terms: D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins; D009344:Neisseria gonorrhoeae / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins