Pilin-gene phase variation of Moraxella bovis is caused by an inversion of the pilin genes.

AUTOR(ES)

Marrs, C F

RESUMO

Moraxella bovis Epp63 can express either of two different pilin proteins, called alpha and beta. We have previously cloned and sequenced the beta-pilin gene and now report that DNAs isolated from bacteria expressing alpha pilin have hybridization patterns consistently different from those of bacteria expressing beta pilin. The phase variation between alpha- and beta-pilin gene expression appears to be associated with an inversion of about 2 kilobases of DNA, whose endpoints occur within the coding region of the expressed pilin gene. Comparisons of the beta-pilin gene sequence with those of well-studied bacterial inversion systems revealed a stretch of 58% sequence similarity (21 of 36 base pairs) between the left inverted repeat of the Salmonella typhimurium flagellar hin control region and the amino-terminal portion of the beta-pilin gene.

Documentos Relacionados

• Sequence analysis of the inversion region containing the pilin genes of Moraxella bovis.
• Interesting sequence differences between the pilin gene inversion regions of Moraxella lacunata ATCC 17956 and Moraxella bovis Epp63.
• Cloning and sequencing of a Moraxella bovis pilin gene.
• Transcriptional regulation of type 4 pilin genes and the site-specific recombinase gene, piv, in Moraxella lacunata and Moraxella bovis.
• Characterization of pilin genes from seven serologically defined prototype strains of Moraxella bovis.