Non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae isolates from patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease contain new phase-variable modA methyltransferase alleles controlling phasevarions.

ABSTRACT: Phasevarions (phase-variable regulons) are emerging as an important area of bacterial gene regulation. Many bacterial pathogens contain phasevarions, with gene expression controlled by the phase-variable expression of DNA methyltransferases via epigenetic mechanisms. Non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) contains the phase-variable methyltransferase modA, of which multiple allelic variants exist (modA1-21). We have previously demonstrated 5 of 21 these modA alleles are overrepresented in NTHi strains isolated from children with middle ear infections. In this study we investigated the modA allele distribution in NTHi strains isolated from patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD. We demonstrate that the distribution of modA alleles in a large panel of COPD isolates is

SUBMITTER: Atack JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6828955 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature