Journal
INFECTION AND IMMUNITY
Volume 69, Issue 3, Pages 1816-1820Publisher
AMER SOC MICROBIOLOGY
DOI: 10.1128/IAI.69.3.1816-1820.2001
Keywords
-
Categories
Funding
- NIAID NIH HHS [AI38399] Funding Source: Medline
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Neisseria meningitidis is a gram-negative bacterium that may cause meningitis, sepsis, or both. The increase in the incidence of meningococcal disease in various countries in the past 2 decades is mainly due the genotypically related lineage III meningococci. The chromosomal DNA differences between lineage III strains and non-lineage III strains were identified using representational difference analysis. Thus, a 1.8-kb locus that is specific for lineage III meningococci was identified. The locus contains three open reading frames encoding the NmeSI restriction-modification system. The methyltransferase gene was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. Site AGTACT was found to be modified by the enzyme. In conclusion, lineage III strains differ from endemic strains by the presence of a specific restriction-modification system. This restriction-modification system may contribute to the clonal and hypervirulent character of lineage III strains by influencing horizontal gene transfer and transcription.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available