Molecular basis of Mycoplasma surface antigenic variation: a novel set of divergent genes undergo spontaneous mutation of periodic coding regions and 5' regulatory sequences.

Abstract excerpt

Antigenic diversity is generated in the wall-less pathogen Mycoplasma hyorhinis by combinatorial expression and phase variation of multiple, size-variant membrane surface lipoproteins (Vlps). The unusual structural basis for Vlp variation was revealed in a cluster of related but divergent vlp genes, vlpA, vlpB and vlpC, which occur as single chromosomal copies. These encode conserved N-terminal domains for...

Topics

• Amino Acid Sequence
• Antigenic Variation
• Antigens, Bacterial
• Antigens, Surface
• Bacterial Proteins
• Base Sequence
• Blotting, Southern
• Cloning, Molecular
• DNA, Bacterial
• Epitopes