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  • Articles  (24)
  • 2015-2019  (2)
  • 1995-1999  (13)
  • 1990-1994  (7)
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  • Medicine  (23)
  • Natural Sciences in General  (4)
  • 1
    Electronic Resource
    Electronic Resource
    Oxford BSL : Blackwell Science Ltd
    Molecular microbiology 30 (1998), S. 0 
    ISSN: 1365-2958
    Source: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Topics: Biology , Medicine
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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  • 2
    ISSN: 1365-2958
    Source: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Topics: Biology , Medicine
    Notes: Three out of 10 Helicobacter pylori clinical isolates were found to be naturally competent for genetic transformation to streptomycin resistance by chromosomal DNA extracted from a spontaneous streptomycin-resistant H. pylori mutant. The frequency of transformation varied between 5 × 10−4 and 4 × 10−6, depending on the H. pylori isolate used. Transposon shuttle mutagenesis based on this natural competence was established using the flagellin gene flaA as the target. The cloned flaA gene was interrupted by insertion of TnMax1, a mini-Tn1721 transposon carrying a modified chloramphenicol-acetyltransferase gene, the catGC cassette. Natural transformation of competent H. pylori strains with plasmid constructs harbouring a catGC-inactivated flaA gene resulted in chloramphenicol-resistant transformants at an average frequency of 4 × 10−5. Southern hybridization experiments confirmed the replacement of the chromosomal H. pylori flaA gene by the cat-inactivated cloned gene copy via homologous recombination resulting in allelic exchange. Phenotypic characterization of the mutants demonstrated the absence of flagella under the electron microscope and the loss of bacterial motility. Immunoblots of cell lysates of the H. pylori mutants with an antiserum raised against the C-terminal portion of recombinant H. pylori major flagellin (FlaA) confirmed the absence of the 54kDa FlaA protein. This efficient transposon shuttle mutagenesis procedure for H. pylori based on natural competence opens up new possibilities for the genetic assessment of putative H. pylori virulence determinants.
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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  • 3
    ISSN: 1365-2958
    Source: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Topics: Biology , Medicine
    Notes: One requirement for the invasion of, and tight adherence to, human epitheiial cells by Neisseria gonorrhoeae is the synthesis of distinct opacity (Opa) outer membrane proteins, encoded by a family of phase-variable chromosomal genes. However, cloning and surface expression of invasion-promoting Opas in Escherichia coli is not sufficient for the efficient invasion of epithelial cells: additional factors besides Opa may be involved in this process. Using the phoA mini-transposon TnMax4, a library of gonococcal mutants affected in the expression of genes encoding exported proteins was generated through shuttle mutagenesis. Of a total of 608 PhoA+ plasmid clones identified in E. coli E145 approximately 40% were used successfully in transforming N. gonorrhoeae and in activating the corresponding chromosomal genes. Gonococci producing the invasion-promoting Opa50 served as the genetic background to identify 51 mutants unable to enter Chang human epithelial cells. We expect some of these mutations affect the interaction of N. gonorrhoeae with epithelial cells directly, while other mutants may carry defects in general house-keeping, secretory and/or regulatory determinants. In some mutants the loss of invasiveness appears to be due to a negative dominant effect of the PhoA+ fusions produced in these mutants. Some of the identified genes display a phase-variation phenomenon in E. coli and several genes are found in multiple copies in N. gonorrhoeae and/or present only in pathogenic Neisseria species.
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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  • 4
    ISSN: 1365-2958
    Source: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Topics: Biology , Medicine
    Notes: Type 4 pili produced by the pathogenic Neisseria species constitute primary determinants for the adherence to host tissues. In addition to the major pilin subunit (PilE), neisserial pili contain the variable PilC proteins represented by two variant gene copies in most pathogenic Neisseria isolates. Based upon structural differences in the conserved regions of PilE, two pilus classes can be distinguished in Neisseria meningitidis. For class I pili found in both Neisseria gonorrhoeae and N. meningitidis, PilC proteins have been implicated in pilus assembly, natural transformation competence and adherence to epithelial cells. In this study, we used primers specific for the pilC2 gene of N. gonorrhoeae strain MS11 to amplify, by the polymerase chain reaction, and clone a homologous pilC gene from N. meningitidis strain A1493 which produces class II pili. This gene was sequenced and the deduced amino acid sequence showed 75.4% and 73.8% identity with the gonococcal PilC1 and PilC2, respectively. These values match the identity value of 74.1% calculated for the two N. gonorrhoeae MS11 PilC proteins, indicating a horizontal relationship between the N. gonorrhoeae and N. meningitidispilC genes. We provide evidence that PilC functions in meningococcal class II pilus assembly and adherence. Furthermore, expression of the cloned N. meningitidis pilC gene in a gonococcal pilC1,2 mutant restores pilus assembly, adherence to ME-180 epithelial cells, and transformation competence to the wild-type level. Thus, PilC proteins exhibit indistinguishable functions in the context of class I and class II pili.
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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  • 5
    Electronic Resource
    Electronic Resource
    Oxford BSL : Blackwell Publishing Ltd
    Molecular microbiology 24 (1997), S. 0 
    ISSN: 1365-2958
    Source: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Topics: Biology , Medicine
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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  • 6
    ISSN: 1365-2958
    Source: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Topics: Biology , Medicine
    Notes: Pili confer the initial ability of Neisseria gonorrhoeae to bind to epithelial cells. Pilin (PilE), the major pilus subunit, and a minor protein termed PilC, reportedly essential for pilus biogenesis, undergo intra-strain phase and structural variation. We demonstrate here that at least two different adherence properties are associated with the gonococcal pili: one is specific for erythrocytes, which is virtually unaffected by PilE variation, and another is specific for epithelial cells, and is modulated in response to the variation of PilE. Based on this finding, mutants of a recA - strain were selected that had lost the ability to bind to human cornea epithelial cells (A-) but retained the ability to form pili (P+) and to agglutinate human erythrocytes (H+). The adherence-negative mutants failed to produce detectable levels of PMC1 or PilC2 proteins, representing pilC phase variants generated in the absence of RecA. The A-pilC phase variants were indistinguishable from their A+parents and spontaneous A+ revertants with regard to the amount of PilE produced and its electrophoretic mobility, the degrees of piliation and haemagglutination, and the pilE nucleotide sequence. These data demonstrate a central role for PilC in pilus-mediated adherence of N. gonorrhoeae to human epithelial cells and further indicate that neither PNC1 nor PilC2 is obligatory for the assembly of gonococcal pili.
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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  • 7
    ISSN: 1365-2958
    Source: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Topics: Biology , Medicine
    Notes: We characterized a novel mutant phenotype (tetrapac, tpc) of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Ngo) associated with a distinctive rough-colony morphology and bacterial growth in clusters of four. This phenotype, suggesting a defect in cell division, was isolated from a mutant library of Ngo MS11 generated with the phoA minitransposon TnMax4. The tpc mutant shows a 30% reduction in the overall murein hydrolase activity using Escherichia coli murein as substrate. Tetrapacs can be resolved by co-cultivation with wild-type Ngo, indicating that Tpc is a diffusible protein. Interestingly, Tpc is absolutely required for the natural transformation competence of piliated Ngo. Mutants in tpc grow normally, but show a ∼ 10-fold reduction in their ability to invade human epithelial cells. The tpc sequence reveals an open reading frame of ∼1 kb encoding a protein (Tpc) of 37kDa. The primary gene product exhibits an N-terminal leader sequence typical of lipoproteins, but palmitoylation of Tpc could not be demonstrated. The ribosomal binding site of tpc is immediately downstream of the translational stop codon of the folC gene coding for an enzyme involved in folic acid biosynthesis and one-carbon metabolism. The tpc gene is probably co-transcribed from the folC promoter and a promoter located within the folC gene. The latter promoter sequence shares significant homology with E. coli gearbox consensus promoters. All three mutant phenotypes, i.e. the cell separation defect, the transformation deficiency and the defect in cell invasion can be restored by complementation of the mutant with an intact tpc gene. To some extent the tcp phenotype is reminiscent of iap in Listeria, lytA in Streptococcus pneumoniae and lyt in Bacillus subtilis, all of which are considered to represent murein hydrolase defects.
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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  • 8
    ISSN: 1365-2958
    Source: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Topics: Biology , Medicine
    Notes: Five murine epitopes were defined and mapped within IgA1 protease produced by Neisseria meningitidis. Epitopes 1 and 2 were present in IgA1 protease from all strains, and from Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Epitopes 3 through to 5 varied between subgroups of serogroup A meningococci. but have remained constant over decades within the subgroups, except for epitope 4, which changed between 1983 and 1987 during the spread of subgroup III meningococci from Asia to Africa. Binding of monoclonal antibodies to epitopes 1, 4 and 5 neutralized enzymatic function. Human sera containing antibodies to lgA1 protease as a result of natural infection inhibited binding of monoclonal antibodies to epitope 4 but not to the other epitopes.
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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  • 9
    Electronic Resource
    Electronic Resource
    Oxford, UK : Blackwell Publishing Ltd
    Molecular microbiology 10 (1993), S. 0 
    ISSN: 1365-2958
    Source: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Topics: Biology , Medicine
    Notes: A novel genetic determinant (comA) has been identified and found to be required for the transformation of piliated Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Mutants in comA of strain MS11 grow normally and are DNA-uptake proficient but blocked in the translocation of DNA into the cytoplasm. Here we show by site-specific mutagenesis and genetic complementation that only one of two open reading frames identified in comA is essential for competence: it encodes a protein (ComA) with a predicted size of 74kDa. The comAgene maps upstream of the iga locus and is transcribed in the opposite orientation, probably under the control of a putative σ;54 type promoter. While DNA probes specific for the N. gonorrhoeae iga locus reveal only a little cross-reactivity with commensal Neisseria species, the neighbouring comA gene appears to be present in most of them. ComA fusion proteins were obtained by in vitro translation. The synthesized gene products migrated atypically in SDS gels indicating its strong hydrophobicity. Several transmembrane α-helices were predicted from the amino acid sequence of ComA which, in the context of an observed sequence similarity with other inner membrane proteins, suggests a location for the protein in the inner membrane. Using piliated and non-piliated comA mutants the consequences of transformation deficiency on pilin phase variation were assessed. We show that the comA defect affects some but not all types of DNA rearrangements associated with pilE variation. The results are in agreement with previous observations supporting the notion that multiple recombination pathways contribute to the variability of pilE.
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  • 10
    ISSN: 1365-2958
    Source: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Topics: Biology , Medicine
    Notes: We have analysed the capacity of the 11 phase-variable, opacity-associated (Opa) proteins encoded by Neisseria gonorrhoeae MS11 to mediate traversal across polarized monolayers of the human colonic carcinoma T84 cell line. Gonococci expressing either the heparan sulphate proteoglycan (HSPG) binding Opa protein (Opa50) or no Opa protein (Opa−) did not interact with the apical pole of T84 monolayers, whereas the 10 variant Opa proteins previously shown to bind CD66 receptors were found to mediate efficient gonococcal adherence and transepithelial traversal. Consistent with this, T84 cells were shown by reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction (RT–PCR) and immunoblotting to co-express CD66a (BGP), CD66c (NCA) and CD66e (CEA). The recruitment of CD66 receptors by Opa-expressing gonococci indicates their involvement in mediating adherence to the surface of T84 cells, and these bacterial interactions could be inhibited completely using polyclonal antibodies cross-reacting with all of the CD66 proteins co-expressed on T84 cells. Consistent results were obtained when Opa proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli, suggesting that the Opa–CD66 interaction is sufficient to mediate bacterial traversal. Transcytosis of Opa-expressing N. gonorrhoeae or E. coli did not disrupt the barrier function of infected monolayers, as indicated by a sustained transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) throughout the course of infection, and confocal laser scanning and electron microscopy both suggest a transcellular rather than a paracellular route of traversal across the monolayers. Parallels between the results seen here and previous work done with organ cultures confirm that T84 monolayers provide a valid model for studying neisserial interactions with the mucosal surface, and suggest that CD66 receptors contribute to this process in vivo.
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