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Infection and Immunity, December 2001, p. 7425-7436, Vol. 69, No. 12
0019-9567/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/IAI.69.12.7425-7436.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Identification, Characterization, and Variable Expression of a Naturally Occurring Inhibitor Protein of IS1106 Transposase in Clinical Isolates of Neisseria meningitidis

Paola Salvatore,1,2 Caterina Pagliarulo,1 Roberta Colicchio,1 Patrizia Zecca,3 Giuseppina Cantalupo,1 Maurizio Tredici,3 Alfredo Lavitola,1 Cecilia Bucci,1,3 Carmelo B. Bruni,1,* and Pietro Alifano3,*

Dipartimento di Biologia e Patologia Cellulare e Molecolare "L. Califano," Università di Napoli "Federico II," and Centro di Endocrinologia ed Oncologia Sperimentale "G. Salvatore" of the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 80131 Naples,1 Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali, Seconda Università di Napoli, 81100 Caserta,2 and Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche e Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Lecce, 73100 Lecce,3 Italy

Received 17 July 2001/Returned for modification 6 September 2001/Accepted 19 September 2001

Transposition plays a role in the epidemiology and pathogenesis of Neisseria meningitidis. Insertion sequences are involved in reversible capsulation and insertional inactivation of virulence genes encoding outer membrane proteins. In this study, we have investigated and identified one way in which transposon IS1106 controls its own activity. We have characterized a naturally occurring protein (Tip) that inhibits the transposase. The inhibitor protein is a truncated version of the IS1106 transposase lacking the NH2-terminal DNA binding sequence, and it regulates transposition by competing with the transposase for binding to the outside ends of IS1106, as shown by gel shift and in vitro transposition assays. IS1106Tip mRNA is variably expressed among serogroup B meningococcal clinical isolates, and it is absent in most collection strains belonging to hypervirulent lineages.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address for C. B. Bruni: Dipartimento di Biologia e Patologia Cellulare e Molecolare "L. Califano," Università di Napoli "Federico II," and Centro di Endocrinologia ed Oncologia Sperimentale "G. Salvatore" of the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Via S. Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy. Phone: (39) 081 7462047. Fax: (39) 081 7703285. E-mail: brucar{at}unina.it. Mailing address for P. Alifano: Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche e Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Lecce, Via Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy. Phone: (39) 0832 320856. Fax: (39) 0832 320626. E-mail: alifano{at}ilenic.unile.it.

Infection and Immunity, December 2001, p. 7425-7436, Vol. 69, No. 12
0019-9567/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/IAI.69.12.7425-7436.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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