Sequence and expression analysis of the ompA gene of Rickettsia peacockii, an endosymbiont of the Rocky Mountain wood tick, Dermacentor andersoni.

ABSTRACT: The transmission dynamics of Rocky Mountain spotted fever in Montana appears to be regulated by Rickettsia peacockii, a tick symbiotic rickettsia that interferes with transmission of virulent Rickettsia rickettsii. To elucidate the molecular relationships between the two rickettsiae and glean information on how to possibly exploit this interference phenomenon, we studied a major rickettsial outer membrane protein gene, ompA, presumed to be involved in infection and pathogenesis of spotted fever group rickettsiae (SFGR) but which is not expressed in the symbiont. Based on PCR amplification and DNA sequence analysis of the SFGR ompA gene, we demonstrate that R. peacockii is the most closely related of all known SFGR to R. rickettsii. We show that R. peacockii, originally described as East Si

SUBMITTER: Baldridge GD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC525201 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature