Campylobacter lari: molecular and comparative analyses of the virulence-associated chromosome locus J (vacJ) gene homologue, including the promoter region.

Following TA cloning and sequencing with a novel in silico-designed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primer pair (f-ClvacJ/r-ClvacJ), approximately 750 base pairs (bp) of promoter and structural gene regions for vacJ and its adjacent genetic loci (approximately 1.14 kbp) were identified in 20 isolates of Campylobacter lari (urease-negative C. lari [n=7]; urease-positive thermophilic Campylobacter [n=13]). The nucleotide sequences of an approximately 70-bp non-coding region, including the typical promoter structure, showed sequence differences at 12 loci among 21 isolates including C. lari RM2100. The putative sigma70 promoter region upstream of the putative open reading frame (ORF), a start codon TTG and a probable ribosome binding site, AGGA, for the vacJ gene were also identified in all 21 C. lari isolates examined. Each ORF for the vacJ terminated with a TAA stop codon. No hypothetical transcriptional terminators were identified within the amplicons. The putative ORFs of the vacJ gene from 21 C. lari isolates consisted of 684 bases, similarly differing from those of the other thermophilic campylobacters (696 bases for C. jejuni RM1221 and NCTC11168 and C. coli RM2228; 690 for C. upsaliensis RM3195). Reverse transcription PCR analysis confirmed the transcription of the vacJ gene in the C. lari cells. A neighbour joining tree suggested a strong molecular discrimination efficacy between UPTC and UN C. lari employing vacJ nucleotide sequence information. The vacJ gene homologue from C. lari organisms appears not to be a lipoprotein signal peptide or a signal peptide in silico.