The Rickettsial Ankyrin Repeat Protein 2 Is a Type IV Secreted Effector That Associates with the Endoplasmic Reticulum.

ABSTRACT: Strains of Rickettsia rickettsii, the tick-borne agent of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, vary considerably in virulence. Genomic comparisons of R. rickettsii strains have identified a relatively small number of genes divergent in an avirulent strain. Among these is one annotated as Rickettsia ankyrin repeat protein 2 (RARP-2). Homologs of RARP-2 are present in all strains of R. rickettsii, but the protein in the avirulent strain Iowa contains a large internal deletion relative to the virulent Sheila Smith strain. RARP-2 is secreted in a type IV secretion system-dependent manner and exposed to the host cell cytosol. RARP-2 of Sheila Smith colocalizes with multilamellar membranous structures bearing markers of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), whereas the Iowa protei

SUBMITTER: Lehman SS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6020290 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature