title: Gene analysis of Vibrio cholerae NAGV14 pilus and its distribution.
abstract: Adhesive pilus of Vibrio cholerae 034, strain NAGV14, was genetically analyzed. The deduced amino acid (aa) sequence of the major pilin structural gene (VcfA) was 67% homologous to the MshA pilin in the N-terminal region, but no homology was found in the C-terminal region which contained the antigenic epitopes. Upstream and downstream flanking regions examined were highly homologous to mshB and mshC of the MSHA (mannose-sensitive hemagglutinin) gene locus. A short leader sequence and a pair of cysteines near the C-terminus which are the characteristics of type 4a pilus family were found. The major pilin structural gene of NAGV14 was compared to that of a strain V10 producing non-adhesive pili. The deduced aa sequences showed 60% homology, and the distance between two cysteines in the C-terminal region was different. A total of 177 V. cholerae strains were investigated for the presence of a type 4 pilus gene locus by PCR, and 95% were positive. The major pilin gene of NAGV14 was detected in 4 of 93 V. cholerae non-O1, non-0139 strains tested, but none of the V. cholerae O1 and O139 (72 and 12 strains, respectively). Our result suggested that a type 4 pilus gene locus similar to the MSHA gene locus is widely distributed among V. cholerae strains. We proposed naming this type 4 pilus gene locus the VCF (for V. cholerae flexible pili) gene locus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kuroki
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Toma
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nakasone
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamashiro
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iwanaga
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion / Q000235:genetics; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D003545:Cysteine / Q000737:chemistry; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins; D010861:Fimbriae, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006388:Hemagglutinins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D037601:Mannose-Binding Lectin; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D014734:Vibrio cholerae / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D006388:Hemagglutinins; D037601:Mannose-Binding Lectin; C101032:MshA protein, Vibrio cholerae; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins; D003545:Cysteine