Identification of a two-partner secretion locus of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli.

ABSTRACT: Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) remains a formidable cause of diarrheal illness worldwide. At present, there is no vaccine that provides broad-based protection against ETEC. A 'phoA-based self-cloning mutagenesis system, TnphoA.ts, employed to identify novel ETEC surface antigens, led to identification of an ETEC two-partner secretion locus (etpBAC) on the pCS1 virulence plasmid of prototype strain H10407. Cloning and expression of etpBAC in recombinant E. coli LMG194(pJY019) resulted in secretion of a high-molecular-weight (HMW) glycosylated exoprotein. This glycoprotein, EtpA, exhibits linear peptide sequence and predicted structural homologies with known HMW adhesins produced by other two-partner secretion loci. Antibodies directed against recombinant EtpA (anti-rEtpA.6H) recogn

SUBMITTER: Fleckenstein JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1418895 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature