PRJNA174839
Investigation of antigenic variation in Neisseria species using high throughput sequencing
Antigenic variation occurs in a range of  bacterial, protozoan and fungal pathogens. This process can occur when variant DNA is unidirectionally transferred from partial gene copies (or silent loci) into an expression locus, and resembles gene conversion. Using genes from  Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitidis we have demonstrated that it is possible to use PCR amplification, followed by high-throughput DNA sequencing and a novel assembly process, to detect individual antigenic variation events. This approach promises to dramatically improve studies of the extent and nature of antigenic variation systems in a variety of species.