TraK and TraB are conserved outer membrane proteins of the Neisseria gonorrhoeae Type IV secretion system and are expressed at low levels in wild-type cells.

ABSTRACT: Neisseria gonorrhoeae uses a type IV secretion system (T4SS) to secrete chromosomal DNA into the medium, and this DNA is effective in transforming other gonococci via natural transformation. In addition, the T4SS is important in the initial stages of biofilm development and mediates intracellular iron uptake in the absence of TonB. To better understand the mechanism of type IV secretion in N. gonorrhoeae, we examined the expression levels and localization of two predicted T4SS outer membrane proteins, TraK and TraB, in the wild-type strain as well as in overexpression strains and in a strain lacking all of the T4SS proteins. Despite very low sequence similarity to known homologues, TraB (VirB10 homolog) and TraK (VirB9 homolog) localized similarly to related proteins in other systems. Addi

SUBMITTER: Ramsey ME 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4135638 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature