PILIN GENES OF EIKENELLA CORRODENS

艾肯氏菌是一种革兰氏阴性兼性厌氧菌

Eikenella corrodens is a gram-negative, facultative anaerobe which is associated with a variety of significant human infections, including periodontal diseases, endocarditis, and wound infections. An interesting characteristic of E. corrodens is that it exhibits colony dimorphism. It has been suggested that this results from phase variation (or a similar genetic process) of pilin gene expression. Recently, we have shown that a Neisseria gonorrhoeae pilin gene probe hybridizes to E. corrodens genomic DNA; in addition, we have seen structures resembling pili in electron micrographs. Several presumptive pilin gene clones have been isolated from an E. corrodens library. The goals of this project are to purify and characterize E. corrodens pili and pilin, to clone and characterize E. corrodens pilin gene(s), and to determine whether pilin gene expression undergoes phase variation. Biochemical, molecular genetic and immunological approaches will be used to address these issues.