Epidemiological evidence for the role of the hemoglobin receptor, hmbR, in meningococcal virulence.
The distribution of the hemoglobin receptor gene (hmbR) was investigated among disease and carriage Neisseria meningitidis isolates, revealing that the gene was detected at a significantly higher frequency among disease isolates than among carriage isolates. In isolates without hmbR, the locus was occupied by the cassettes exl2 or exl3 or by a "pseudo hmbR" gene, designated exl4. The hmbR locus exhibited characteristics of a pathogenicity island in published genomes of N. meningitidis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Neisseria lactamica sequence type-640. These data are consistent with a role for the hmbR gene in meningococcal disease.
Harrison
Odile B
OB
Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Evans
Nicholas J
NJ
Blair
Jessica M
JM
Grimes
Holly S
HS
Tinsley
Colin R
CR
Nassif
Xavier
X
Kriz
Paula
P
Ure
Roisin
R
Gray
Steve J
SJ
Derrick
Jeremy P
JP
Maiden
Martin C J
MC
Feavers
Ian M
IM
D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D017931:DNA Primers; D006801:Humans; D008589:Meningococcal Infections / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D009344:Neisseria gonorrhoeae / Q000235:genetics*; D042806:Neisseria lactamica / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity; D009345:Neisseria meningitidis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers; C094109:HmbR protein, Neisseria meningitidis; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface