Differential protein expression in phenotypic variants of Streptococcus pneumoniae.

ABSTRACT: Streptococcus pneumoniae undergoes spontaneous phase variation resulting in opaque and transparent colony forms. Differences in colony opacity correlate with differences in virulence: the transparent variants are more capable of colonizing the nasopharynx, whereas the opaque variants show increased virulence during systemic infections. To gain insight into the pathogenesis of pneumococcal disease at the molecular level, protein expression patterns of the phenotypic variants of two pneumococcal strains were compared by high-resolution two-dimensional protein electrophoresis. In comparison with transparent variants, the opaque variants reduced the expression of two proteins and overexpressed one protein. The proteins were identified by mass spectrometric analysis. The protein overexpressed i

SUBMITTER: Overweg K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC98388 | biostudies-literature | 2000 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature