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Molecular Analysis of Virulence Determinants of Neisseria gonorrhoeae

  • Conference paper
The Pathogenesis of Bacterial Infections

Part of the book series: Bayer-Symposium ((BAYER-SYMP,volume 8))

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Summary

Gonococcal virulence is thought to rely on multiple phenomena to which antigenic variation of surface proteins as well as the production of an extracellular protease specific for human IgA1 can be accounted. The expression of pilin and opacity (Op) protein in Neisseria gonorrhoeae can be switched on and off and a single cell apparently has a whole repertoire of genes to express many serologically distinguishable protein types. In order to investigate the molecular mechanisms associated with this surface variability, we have cloned the genes for pilin and Op expression in Escherichia coli. Using these genes as probes in DNA filter hybridizations, we revealed two complex gene systems which undergo genomic reorganizations and/or gene conversions which occur concomitant to changes in the expression of these surface proteins. To study the role of IgA proteases in bacterial pathogenesis, we cloned the IgA protease gene of N. gonorrhoeae MS11. This clone promotes expression and extracellular secretion of active enzyme in E. coli and other gram-negative bacterial species.

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Authors
  1. Th. F. Meyer
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  2. R. Haas
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  3. R. Halter
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  4. P. Nickel
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  5. J. Pohlner
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  6. A. Stern
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  7. J. Clarke
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  8. H. Delius
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  9. M. So
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, The University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, Box 6998, 60680, Chicago, IL, USA

    George Gee Jackson

  2. Bayer AG, Pharma-Forschungszentrum, Institut für Chemotherapie, Postfach 101709, D-5600, Wuppertal 1, Germany

    Herbert Thomas

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© 1985 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Meyer, T.F. et al. (1985). Molecular Analysis of Virulence Determinants of Neisseria gonorrhoeae . In: Jackson, G.G., Thomas, H. (eds) The Pathogenesis of Bacterial Infections. Bayer-Symposium, vol 8. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-70351-5_19

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-70351-5_19

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-70353-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-70351-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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