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A Sco homologue plays a role in defence against oxidative stress in pathogenic Neisseria
Author(s) -
Seib Kate L,
Jennings Michael P,
McEwan Alastair G
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/s0014-5793(03)00632-x
Subject(s) - neisseria gonorrhoeae , microbiology and biotechnology , neisseria meningitidis , kanamycin , bacteria , oxidase test , oxidative stress , biology , neisseria , mutant , pathogenic bacteria , strain (injury) , chemistry , gene , biochemistry , genetics , antibiotics , enzyme , anatomy
Sco proteins are found in mitochondria and in a variety of oxidase positive bacteria. Although Sco is required for the formation of the Cu A centre in a cytochrome oxidase of the aa 3 type, it was observed that oxidases with a Cu A centre are not present in many bacteria that contain a Sco homologue. Two bacteria of this type are the pathogens Neisseria meningitidis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae . The sco genes of N. gonorrhoeae strain 1291 and N. meningitidis strain MC58 were cloned, inactivated by inserting a kanamycin resistance cassette and used to make knockout mutants by allelic exchange. Both N. gonorrhoeae and N. meningitidis sco mutants were highly sensitive to oxidative killing by paraquat, indicating that Sco is involved in protection against oxidative stress in these bacteria.