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. 1992 Apr;60(4):1336–1342. doi: 10.1128/iai.60.4.1336-1342.1992

Protein D, the immunoglobulin D-binding protein of Haemophilus influenzae, is a lipoprotein.

H Janson 1, L O Hedén 1, A Forsgren 1
PMCID: PMC257001  PMID: 1548059

Abstract

Protein D is an immunoglobulin D-binding membrane protein exposed on the surface of the gram-negative bacterium Haemophilus influenzae. Results reported here indicate that protein D is a lipoprotein. The protein is apparently synthesized as a precursor with an 18-residue-long signal sequence modified by the covalent attachment of both ester-linked and amide-linked palmitate to the cysteine residue, which becomes the amino terminus after cleavage of the signal sequence. Globomycin inhibited maturation of protein D in H. influenzae, implying that protein D is exported through the lipoprotein export pathway. A mutant expressing a protein D lacking the cysteine residue was constructed by oligonucleotide site-directed mutagenesis. The mutated protein D molecule was not acylated and partitioned in the aqueous phase after Triton X-114 extraction of intact bacteria, unlike native and recombinant protein D, which partitioned in the detergent phase. The nonacylated protein D molecule was localized to the periplasmic space of Escherichia coli. The hydrophilic protein D molecule will be used in investigations concerning its ability to function as a vaccine component.

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Selected References

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