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. 1989 Dec;171(12):6397–6408. doi: 10.1128/jb.171.12.6397-6408.1989

Identification of a divergent M protein gene and an M protein-related gene family in Streptococcus pyogenes serotype 49.

E J Haanes 1, P P Cleary 1
PMCID: PMC210527  PMID: 2687231

Abstract

The antigenically variant M protein of Streptococcus pyogenes enhances virulence by promoting resistance to phagocytosis. The serum opacity factor (OF), produced by a subset of M serotypes, is also antigenically variant, and its antigenic variability exactly parallels that of M protein. OF-positive and OF-negative streptococci are also phenotypically distinguishable by a number of other criteria. In order to study the differences between OF-positive and OF-negative streptococci, we cloned and sequenced the type 49 M protein gene (emm49), the first to be cloned from an OF-positive strain. This gene showed evolutionary divergence from the OF-negative M protein genes studied previously. Furthermore, emm49 was part of a gene family, in contrast to the single-copy nature of previously characterized M protein genes.

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Selected References

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