The Mycoplasma pneumoniae MPN490 and Mycoplasma genitalium MG339 genes encode reca homologs that promote homologous DNA strand exchange.

ABSTRACT: The P1, P40, and P90 proteins of Mycoplasma pneumoniae and the MgPa and P110 proteins of Mycoplasma genitalium are immunogenic adhesion proteins that display sequence variation. Consequently, these proteins are thought to play eminent roles in immune evasive strategies. For each of the five proteins, a similar underlying molecular mechanism for sequence variation was hypothesized, i.e., modification of the DNA sequences of their respective genes. This modification is thought to result from homologous recombination of parts of these genes with repeat elements (RepMp and MgPar elements in M. pneumoniae and M. genitalium, respectively) that are dispersed throughout the bacterial genome. Proteins that are potentially involved in homologous DNA recombination have been suggested to be implicated

SUBMITTER: Sluijter M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2772507 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature