Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Cahoon LA
PROVIDER: S-EPMC2803317 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Aug
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Cahoon Laty A LA Seifert H Steven HS
Science (New York, N.Y.) 20090801 5941
Pathogens can use DNA recombination to promote antigenic variation (Av) of surface structures to avoid immune detection. We identified a cis-acting DNA sequence near the antigenically variable pilin locus of the human pathogen, Neisseria gonorrhoeae. This 16-base pair guanine (G)-rich sequence was required for pilin Av and formed a guanine quartet (G4) structure in vitro. Individual mutations that disrupted the structure also blocked pilin Av and prevented nicks required for recombination from o ...[more]