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Infect Immun, April 1998, p. 1482-1491, Vol. 66, No. 4
Department of Pediatric Dentistry, The University of Texas
Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
782841 and
Oral Infection and
Immunity Branch, National Institute of Dental Research, National
Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 208922
Received 10 September 1997/Returned for modification 6 November
1997/Accepted 23 December 1997
The nucleotide sequence of the Actinomyces naeslundii
T14V type 2 fimbrial structural subunit gene, fimA, and the
3' flanking DNA region was determined. The fimA gene
encoded a 535-amino-acid precursor subunit protein (FimA) which
included both N-terminal leader and C-terminal cell wall sorting
sequences. A second gene, designated orf365, that encoded a
365-amino-acid protein which contained a putative transmembrane segment
was identified immediately 3' to fimA. Mutants in which
either fimA or orf365 was replaced with a
kanamycin resistance gene did not participate in type 2 fimbriae-mediated coaggregation with Streptococcus oralis
34. Type 2 fimbrial antigen was not detected in cell extracts of the fimA mutant by Western blotting with anti-A.
naeslundii type 2 fimbrial antibody, but the subunit protein was
detected in extracts of the orf365 mutant. The subunit
protein detected in this mutant also was immunostained by an antibody
raised against a synthetic peptide representing the C-terminal 20 amino
acid residues of the predicted FimA. The antipeptide antibody reacted
with FimA isolated from the recombinant Escherichia coli
clone containing fimA but did not react with purified type
2 fimbriae in extracts of the wild-type strain. These results indicate
that synthesis of type 2 fimbriae in A. naeslundii T14V may
involve posttranslational cleavage of both the N-terminal and
C-terminal peptides of the precursor subunit and also the expression of
orf365.
0019-9567/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Identification of a Gene Involved in Assembly of
Actinomyces naeslundii T14V Type 2 Fimbriae
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of
Pediatric Dentistry, 7703 Floyd Curl Dr., San Antonio, TX 78284. Phone: (210) 567-3536. Fax: (210) 567-6603. E-mail:
yeung{at}uthscsa.edu.
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