title: Factor H and neisserial pathogenesis.
abstract: Both Neisseria gonorrhoeae and N. meningitidis bind to factor H which enhances their ability to evade complement-dependent killing. While porin is the ligand for human fH on gonococci, meningococci use a lipoprotein called factor H binding protein (fHbp) to bind to factor H and enhance their ability to evade complement-dependent killing. This protein is currently being intensively investigated as a meningococcal vaccine candidate antigen. Consistent with the observation that meningococci cause natural infection only in humans, the organism resists human complement, and are more readily killed by complement from lower animals. This human species-specific complement evasion has important implications for evaluation of vaccine-elicited antibodies using non-human complement sources and development of animal models of disease.
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, Oakland, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Jo Anne
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Welsch
authors.forename: Sanjay
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ram
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D001770:Blood Bactericidal Activity; D017242:Complement Factor H / Q000502:physiology*; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000172:deficiency; D006069:Gonorrhea / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008024:Ligands; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000378:metabolism; D008589:Meningococcal Infections / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D022401:Meningococcal Vaccines / Q000276:immunology; D019158:N-Acetylneuraminic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D009344:Neisseria gonorrhoeae / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D009345:Neisseria meningitidis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D008024:Ligands; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D022401:Meningococcal Vaccines; C484699:factor H-binding protein, Neisseria meningitidis; C023023:lipid-linked oligosaccharides; D017242:Complement Factor H; D003165:Complement System Proteins; D019158:N-Acetylneuraminic Acid