title: Molecular characterization of a flagellar (fla) operon in the oral spirochete Treponema denticola ATCC 35405.
abstract: A Treponema denticola 9.6-kb motility locus containing 11 genes was identified, sequenced and analyzed. The genes were designated tap1, flgD, flgE, orf4, motA, motB, fliL, fliM, fliY, orf10 and fliP. The order of these genes is identical to that of the corresponding region of the Treponema pallidum fla operon. Seven of the deduced Fla proteins share significant homology with both Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis proteins associated with flagellar structure and function. Reverse transcription-PCR analysis indicated that the T. denticola fla genes are transcribed as a single unit. A putative sigma(28)-like promoter, virtually identical to the T. pallidum fla promoter, was identified upstream of tap1. These results showed that the T. denticola and T. pallidum fla operons are highly conserved, supporting the proposed phylogenetic relatedness of these spirochetes.
authors.affiliation: Program in Infectious Diseases, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7400, USA. lstamm@email.unc.edu
authors.forename: L V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Stamm
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Bergen
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D001483:Base Sequence; D006801:Humans; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology; D009068:Movement; D009876:Operon; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D014208:Treponema / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D014210:Treponema pallidum / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins