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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #67967
Title: MAPPING THE H7 SEROSPECIFIC DOMAIN OF ESCHERICHIA COLI FLAGELLIN

Author
item Kwang, Hwei Sing
item WILSON, RICHARD - PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV
item He, Yongsheng
item Yang, Xiao

Submitted to: Journal of Clinical Microbiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/10/1996
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Flagella (thread-like structures on the outside of bacteria) are the motor organs of bacteria and are made of many copies of the protein flagellin. H antigen is the flagella-specific bacterial antigen which, together with the O antigen, is responsible for most of the bacterial serotyping. There are at least 56 different H serotypes identified in E. coli. One of these H serotypes--H7--is associated with the important food safety organism E. coli O157:H7. H antigen specificity is determined by the amino acid sequence of flagellin. In this study, the H7-specific sequence has been localized between amino acids 352 to 374 of the H7 flagellin. The sequencing data also demonstrated that the difference between the H7 and H23 flagellins in this region is the result of a single substitution at amino acid 366 (Ser -> Thr).

Technical Abstract: The amino acid sequences responsible for H7 and H23 flagella serology have been identified by using a genetic approach. The H7-specific domain was localized between amino acids 352 to 374 of H7 flagellin. The sequencing data also demonstrated that the difference between the H7 and H23 flagellins in this region results from a single substitution at amino acid 366 (Ser - Thr). The common epitopes for H7 and H23 were localized between amino acids 284 to 366.