Meningococcal Genetic Variation Mechanisms Viewed through Comparative Analysis of Serogroup C Strain FAM18

摘要: The bacterium Neisseria meningitidis is commonly found harmlessly colonising the mucosal surfaces of human nasopharynx. Occasionally strains can invade host tissues causing septicaemia and meningitis, making a major cause morbidity mortality in both developed developing world. species known to be diverse many ways, as product its natural transformability range recombination mutation-based systems. Previous work on pathogenic has identified several mechanisms for generation diversity surface structures, including phase variation based slippage-like sequence conversion expressed genes using information from silent loci. Comparison genome sequences two N. strains, serogroup B MC58 A Z2491, suggested further variation, C-terminal exchange specific enhanced localised related repeat arrays. We have sequenced strain FAM18, representative ST-11/ET-37 complex, providing first disease-causing C meningococci; it 1,976 predicted genes, which 60 do not orthologues previously or strains. Through comparison with Z2491 we characterised genetic meningitidis, describing specialised loci cell protein variants measuring association between noncoding arrays flanking genes. Here provide detailed view novel diversification meningitidis. Our analysis provides evidence hypothesis that neisserial genomes (neisserial intergenic mosaic elements) crucial mechanism antigen variants. Such will an impact interaction tissues, understanding these important aid our intimate complex relationship nasopharynx meningococcus.