title: Genetic competence in Helicobacter pylori: mechanisms and biological implications.
abstract: Helicobacter pylori is naturally competent for genetic transformation. The comB locus, consisting of the open reading frames orf2, comB1, comB2, and comB3, is involved in natural transformation competence. Homologies of the ComB proteins with components of the type IV secretion apparatus (VirB9 and VirB10) from the Ti plasmid of Agrobacterium tumefaciens, as well as proteins involved in conjugation of plasmids RP1 and RP4, suggest a similar organization of DNA import (transformation) in H. pylori with well-known DNA export systems.
authors.affiliation: Max von Pettenkofer Institute for Hygiene and Medical Microbiology, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hofreuter
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Odenbreit
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Püls
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schwan
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Haas
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D014169:Transformation, Bacterial; D037521:Virulence Factors
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D037521:Virulence Factors; C061261:comB protein, Haemophilus influenzae