ArticleMolecular microbiology2019
Transcriptional initiation of a small RNA, not R-loop stability, dictates the frequency of pilin antigenic variation in Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
Article in Molecular microbiology, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 17 citations in OpenAlex.
- CRISPRi targeting to themBio · 2026Article
- Publicly Available Neisseria Gonorrhoeae Genomes Predominantly Represent In Vitro-Derived Nonpiliated Variants.The Journal of infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Role of Small Non-Coding RNA in Gram-Negative Bacteria: New Insights and Comprehensive Review of Mechanisms, Functions, and Potential Applications.Molecular biotechnology · 2025Review
- Article
- Development and implementation of a Type I-C CRISPR-based programmable repression system formBio · 2024Article
- Microevolution and Its Impact on Hypervirulence, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Vaccine Escape inMicroorganisms · 2023Review
- RAD51-mediated R-loop formation acts to repair transcription-associated DNA breaks driving antigenic variation inProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2023Article
- Flipons and small RNAs accentuate the asymmetries of pervasive transcription by the reset and sequence-specific microcoding of promoter conformation.The Journal of biological chemistry · 2023Review
- Article
- G-Quadruplex Structures in Bacteria: Biological Relevance and Potential as an Antimicrobial Target.Journal of bacteriology · 2021Review
- Article
- Altering theBiochemistry · 2020Article
- PacBio Amplicon Sequencing Method To Measure Pilin Antigenic Variation Frequencies of Neisseria gonorrhoeae.mSphere · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the sole causative agent of gonorrhea, constitutively undergoes diversification of the Type IV pilus. Gene conversion occurs between one of the several donor silent copies located in distinct loci and the recipient pilE gene, encoding the major pilin subunit of the pilus. A guanine quadruplex (G4) DNA structure and a cis-acting sRNA (G4-sRNA) are located upstream of the pilE gene and both are required for pilin antigenic variation (Av). We show that the reduced sRNA transcription lowers pilin Av frequencies. Extended transcriptional elongation is not required for Av, since limiting the transcript to 32 nt allows for normal Av frequencies. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays, we show that cellular G4s are less abundant when sRNA transcription is lower. In addition, using ChIP, we demonstrate that the G4-sRNA forms a stable RNA:DNA hybrid (R-loop) with its template strand. However, modulating R-loop levels by controlling RNase HI expression does not alter G4 abundance quantified through ChIP. Since pilin Av frequencies were not altered when modulating R-loop levels by controlling RNase HI expression, we conclude that transcription of the sRNA is necessary, but stable R-loops are not required to promote pilin Av.
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