Beyond the Crystal Structure: Insight into the Function and Vaccine Potential of TbpA Expressed by Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

ABSTRACT: Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the causative agent of the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhea, is not preventable by vaccination and is rapidly developing resistance to antibiotics. However, the transferrin (Tf) receptor system, composed of TbpA and TbpB, is an ideal target for novel therapeutics and vaccine development. Using a three-dimensional structure of gonococcal TbpA, we investigated two hypotheses, i.e., that loop-derived antibodies can interrupt ligand-receptor interactions in the native bacterium and that the loop 3 helix is a critical functional domain. Preliminary loop-derived antibodies, as well as optimized second-generation antibodies, demonstrated similar modest ligand-blocking effects on the gonococcal surface but different effects in Escherichia coli. Mutagenesis of loop 3

SUBMITTER: Cash DR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4598392 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature