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An analysis of the organization and evolution of type 4 fimbrial (MePhe) subunit proteins

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Summary

We have analyzed and compared the amino acid sequences of the type 4 fimbrial subunits fromPseudomonas aeruginosa, Moraxella bovis, M. nonliquefaciens, Bacteroides nodosus, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, andN. meningitidis. We propose a consensus sequence for the highly conserved aminoterminal regions of these proteins. In the variable regions, a domain corresponding to an epitope common toN. gonorrhoeae andN. meningitidis fimbriae is conserved, both in sequence and in environment, in fimbrial subunits fromB. nodosus. The subunits fromM. bovis andP. aeruginosa do not show any homologies to this sequence. In all of the subunits, the carboxy-terminal half of the molecule consists of a series of fairly hydrophobic domains. The last three domains, two of which include the cysteines of the disulfide bridge inN. gonorrhoeae, P. aeruginosa, andM. bovis, are more or less conserved in sequence in all of the proteins including that ofB. nodosus. We propose that these conserved hydrophobic regions, which have the potential to form a series of beta-sheets, form a structural framework around which more variable hydrophilic sequences determining immunological profile are arranged. The evolutionary relationships of the contemporary proteins and the distribution of type 4 fimbriae are also discussed.

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  1. CSIRO Division of Molecular Biology, PO Box 184, 2113, North Ryde, NSW, Australia

    Brian Dalrymple & John S. Mattick

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  1. Brian Dalrymple
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Dalrymple, B., Mattick, J.S. An analysis of the organization and evolution of type 4 fimbrial (MePhe) subunit proteins. J Mol Evol 25, 261–269 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02100020

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