Seifert H S, Ajioka R, So M
Department of Molecular Biology, Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation, La Jolla, CA 92037.
Vaccine. 1988 Apr;6(2):107-9. doi: 10.1016/s0264-410x(88)80009-4.
The pilus of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a dominant outer membrane organelle, is a major virulence factor. The pilus undergoes phase variation and antigenic variation has also been observed, both in vitro and in vivo. The current model of pilus variation invokes a gene conversion type recombination between a silent pilin locus and the pilin expression site. Experimental results which led to the creation of this hypothesis are reviewed and data are presented which support an alternative model based on DNA transformation.
淋病奈瑟菌的菌毛是一种主要的外膜细胞器，是主要的毒力因子。菌毛会发生相变，并且在体外和体内均观察到了抗原变异。目前的菌毛变异模型认为，沉默菌毛蛋白基因座与菌毛蛋白表达位点之间存在基因转换型重组。本文回顾了导致提出这一假说的实验结果，并给出了支持基于DNA转化的另一种模型的数据。
