IRON UTILIZATION BY NEISSERIA MENINGITIDIS

这项研究的目的是了解 脑膜炎奈瑟氏菌获得铁。 我们将研究 铁抑制性外膜蛋白在这一过程中，同时使用 经典和分子遗传学方法。 我们将努力解决 关于脑膜炎球菌是否产生异羟肟酸的现有争议 铁载体，并将研究的可能性，一个假定的铁载体 可能会因环境因素而产生，而不是 铁限制 由于转铁蛋白和乳铁蛋白可在体内获得， 在脑膜炎球菌所在的地方，我们希望对这些研究 两种铁源在体外是生物学相关的。 生物 氯化血红素和血红蛋白利用的相关性目前尚不清楚;所有 迄今为止进行的测定使用游离形式的这些铁载体， 在体内，它们可能与载体蛋白（血红素结合蛋白和 触珠蛋白）。 因此，我们打算评估这些载体蛋白如何影响 氯化血红素和血红蛋白的利用。 这些研究对于 进一步加深了我们对新型铁吸收系统的理解。 这些研究 将为今后的研究提供重要的基础， 脑膜炎球菌铁的获得和毒力。 最终，这些知识 可用于开发新的脑膜炎球菌疫苗， 对脑膜炎球菌铁吸收系统的影响

The objective of the proposed research is to understand the mechanisms of iron acquisition by Neisseria meningitidis. We will be examining the role of iron-repressible outer membrane proteins in this process, using both classical and molecular genetic approaches. We will attempt to resolve the existing controversy as to whether the meningococcus produces a hydroxamate siderophore, and will examine the possibility that a putative siderophore may be produced in response to environmental cues other than iron-limitation. Since transferrin and lactoferrin are available in vivo at sites where the meningococcus resides, we expect that the study of these two iron sources in vitro is biologically relevant. The biological relevance of hemin and hemoglobin utilization is unclear at present; all assays done to date have used these iron carriers in their free form, while in the body they probably exist bound to carrier proteins (hemopexin and haptoglobin). Thus, we intend to assess how these carrier proteins affect the utilization of hemin and hemoglobin. These studies are important in furthering our understanding of a novel iron uptake system. These studies will provide an important basis for future studies on the relationship of meningococcal iron acquisition and virulence. Ultimately, this knowledge may be of use in the development of novel meningococcal vaccines directed against the meningococcal iron uptake system.