Open AccessThe adhesin related 30‐kDa protein of Mycoplasma pneumoniae exhibits size and antigen variability
Author(s) -
LayhSchmitt Gerlinde,
Himmelreich Ralf,
Leibfried Ute
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1997.tb10415.x
Subject(s) - bacterial adhesin , mycoplasma pneumoniae , antigenicity , biology , mutant , microbiology and biotechnology , antigen , mycoplasma , mutant protein , gene , biochemistry , escherichia coli , immunology , history , archaeology , pneumonia
Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a pathogenic bacterium colonizing epithelial cells of the human respiratory tract. Using an erythrocyte binding assay we isolated a cytadsorption negative mutant designated M7 which has lost 12 of a total of 13 repetitive sequences of a proline rich C‐terminal region of the adhesin related 30‐kDa protein. The truncated adhesin related protein of 22 kDa showed reduced antigenicity compared to the corresponding wild‐type protein. Moreover, the mutant M7 proved incapable of adhering to erythrocytes and to a human colon carcinoma cell line indicating that the repetitive C‐terminal region of the 30‐kDa protein is essential for effective cytadherence. The adhesin related 30‐kDa protein as well as the truncated forms of the corresponding protein were accessible to carboxypeptidase Y which clearly shows surface exposure of the C‐terminus of this protein.