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Journal of Bacteriology, July 2000, p. 3948-3954, Vol. 182, No. 14
0021-9193/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

comH, a Novel Gene Essential for Natural Transformation of Helicobacter pylori

Leonard C. Smeets, Jetta J. E. Bijlsma, Sacha Y. Boomkens, Christina M. J. E. Vandenbroucke-Grauls, and Johannes G. Kusters*

Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Control, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Received 7 February 2000/Accepted 26 April 2000

Helicobacter pylori is naturally competent for transformation, but the DNA uptake system of this bacterium is only partially characterized, and nothing is known about the regulation of competence in H. pylori. To identify other components involved in transformation or competence regulation in this species, we screened a mutant library for competence-deficient mutants. This resulted in the identification of a novel, Helicobacter-specific competence gene (comH) whose function is essential for transformation of H. pylori with chromosomal DNA fragments as well as with plasmids. Complementation of comH mutants in trans completely restored competence. Unlike other transformation genes of H. pylori, comH does not belong to a known family of orthologous genes. Moreover, no significant homologs of comH were identified in currently available databases of bacterial genome sequences. The comH gene codes for a protein with an N-terminal leader sequence and is present in both highly competent and less-efficient transforming H. pylori strains. A comH homolog was found in Helicobacter acinonychis but not in Helicobacter felis and Helicobacter mustelae.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Medical Microbiology, Vrije Universiteit, Van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Phone: 31 20 4448310. Fax: 31 20 4448318. E-mail: jg.kusters.mm{at}med.vu.nl.

Journal of Bacteriology, July 2000, p. 3948-3954, Vol. 182, No. 14
0021-9193/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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