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Journal of Bacteriology, April 1999, p. 2485-2491, Vol. 181, No. 8
0021-9193/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Cloning of fibA, Encoding an Immunogenic Subunit of the Fibril-Like Surface Structure of Peptostreptococcus micros

B. H. A. Kremer,1,dagger J. J. E. Bijlsma,2 J. G. Kusters,2 J. de Graaff,1 and T. J. M. van Steenbergen1,*

Department of Oral Microbiology, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam,1 and Department of Medical Microbiology, Vrije Universiteit,2 Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Received 20 October 1998/Accepted 10 February 1999

Although we are currently unaware of its biological function, the fibril-like surface structure is a prominent characteristic of the rough (Rg) genotype of the gram-positive periodontal pathogen Peptostreptococcus micros. The smooth (Sm) type of this species as well as the smooth variant of the Rg type (RgSm) lack these structures on their surface. A fibril-specific serum, as determined by immunogold electron microscopy, was obtained through adsorption of a rabbit anti-Rg type serum with excess bacteria of the RgSm type. This serum recognized a 42-kDa protein, which was subjected to N-terminal sequencing. Both clones of a lambda TriplEx expression library that were selected by immunoscreening with the fibril-specific serum contained an open reading frame, designated fibA, encoding a 393-amino-acid protein (FibA). The 15-residue N-terminal amino acid sequence of the 42-kDa antigen was present at positions 39 to 53 in FibA; from this we conclude that the mature FibA protein contains 355 amino acids, resulting in a predicted molecular mass of 41,368 Da. The putative 38-residue signal sequence of FibA strongly resembles other gram-positive secretion signal sequences. The C termini of FibA and two open reading frames directly upstream and downstream of fibA exhibited significant sequence homology to the C termini of a group of secreted and surface-located proteins of other gram-positive cocci that are all presumably involved in anchoring of the protein to carbohydrate structures. We conclude that FibA is a secreted and surface-located protein and as such is part of the fibril-like structures.


* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Oral Microbiology, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam, van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Phone: 31-20-4448679. Fax: +31-20-4448318. E-mail: TJM.van_Steenbergen.omb.acta{at}med.vu.nl.

dagger Present address: Department of Oral Biology, College of Dentistry, Health Science Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610.


Journal of Bacteriology, April 1999, p. 2485-2491, Vol. 181, No. 8
0021-9193/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.