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Comparative Study
. 2009 Feb;299(2):133-9.
doi: 10.1016/j.ijmm.2008.06.010. Epub 2008 Aug 20.

A common gene pool for the Neisseria FetA antigen

Julia S Bennett  1 , Emily A L Thompson, Paula Kriz, Keith A Jolley, Martin C J Maiden
Affiliations
Comparative Study

A common gene pool for the Neisseria FetA antigen

Julia S Bennett et al. Int J Med Microbiol. 2009 Feb.

Abstract

Meningococcal FetA is an iron-regulated, immunogenic outer membrane protein and vaccine component. The most diverse region of this protein is a previously defined variable region (VR) that has been shown to be immunodominant. In this analysis, a total of 275 Neisseria lactamica isolates, collected during studies of nasopharyngeal bacterial carriage in infants, were examined for the presence of a fetA gene. The fetA VR nucleotide sequence was determined for 217 of these isolates, with fetA apparently absent from 58 isolates, the majority of which belonged to the ST-624 clonal complex. The VR in N. lactamica was compared to the same region in N. meningitidis, N. gonorrhoeae, and a number of other commensal Neisseria. Identical fetA variable region sequences were identified among commensal and pathogenic Neisseria, suggesting a common gene pool, differing from other antigens in this respect. Carriage of commensal Neisseria species, such as N. lactamica, that express FetA may be involved in the development of natural immunity to meningococcal disease.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Neighbour-joining trees showing the relationships among five families of FetA VR sequences from Neisseria.
Model: Amino acid p-distance.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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