Antigenic Variation in Neisseria gonorrhoeae Occurs Independently of RecQ-Mediated Unwinding of the pilE G Quadruplex.

ABSTRACT: The obligate human pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae alters its cell surface antigens to evade the immune system in a process known as antigenic variation (AV). During pilin AV, portions of the expressed pilin gene (pilE) are replaced with segments of silent pilin genes (pilS) through homologous recombination. The pilE-pilS exchange is initiated by formation of a parallel guanine quadruplex (G4) structure near the pilE gene, which recruits the homologous recombination machinery. The RecQ helicase, which has been proposed to aid AV by unwinding the pilE G4 structure, is an important component of this machinery. However, RecQ also promotes homologous recombination through G4-independent duplex DNA unwinding, leaving the relative importance of its G4 unw

SUBMITTER: Voter AF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6964745 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature