A cell-contact-regulated operon is involved in genetic variability in Neisseria meningitidis.
The ability of Neisseria meningitidis to establish efficient interaction with host cells is crucial for its survival. We recently demonstrated that an entire operon containing genes NMA1802 to NMA1806 was overexpressed during the early stage of the colonization process. In this work, we investigated whether upregulation of the expression of this operon facilitated the ability of N. meningitidis to adapt to growth on host cells. Using a strain displaying an inducible operon, we demonstrated that the NMA1802-NMA1806 cell-contact-regulated operon could potentially improve the adaptability of meningococcus during growth on the cell surface through enhanced generation of variants.
Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U1002, F-75015 Paris, France. anne.jamet@inserm.fr
Anne
A
Jamet
Eric
E
Frapy
Dominique
D
Schneider
Xavier
X
Nassif
Patricia
P
Martin
D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D009345:Neisseria meningitidis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D009876:Operon