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Interspecies recombination In nature: a meningococcus that has acquired a gonococcal PIB porin
Author(s) -
Vázquez Julio A,
Berron Sonsoles,
O'Rourke Maria,
Carpenter Gill,
Feil Edward,
Smith Noel H.,
Spratt Brian G.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
molecular microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.857
H-Index - 247
eISSN - 1365-2958
pISSN - 0950-382X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1995.tb02275.x
Subject(s) - neisseria gonorrhoeae , neisseria meningitidis , biology , neisseriaceae , microbiology and biotechnology , neisseria , porin , genetics , gene , bacterial outer membrane , mtrr , virology , allele , bacteria , escherichia coli , methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase
Summary A. vaginal isolate of Neisseria has been reported to resemble Neisseria meningitidis in biochemical characteristics but to react with serological reagents that are specific to the PI porin from Neisseria gonorrhoeae. We have confirmed that this isolate has the biochemical attributes of a meningococcus and have shown that it clusters among meningococcal Isolates on a dendrogram based on isoenzyme variation within housekeeping enzymes from populations of N. meningitidis and N. gonorrhoeae. Furthermore, the sequences of the fbp and adk genes were typical of those of N. meningitidis and were distinct from those of N. gonorrhoeae. However, the porB gene was very similar to the por genes of N. gonorrhoeae isolates that express the PIB class of outer‐membrane porin (differing from one gonococcal por allele at only a single nucleotide site), and was clearly distinct from the porB genes of N. meningitidis. The isolate therefore appears to be a typical meningococcus, except that its porB gene has been replaced with the por gene from a gonococcus.