FIG. 1.

Illustration of the gonococcal iga gene, based on the sequence published by Pohlner et al. (28). The portion of the iga gene encoding the mature IgA1 protease is unshaded. Primers Iga1 and Iga2 were used in PCR to amplify the iga gene fragment for cloning. The BglII site shown was used subsequently for insertional inactivation of the gene, as described in the text. Shaded areas encode portions of the protein that are not part of the mature protease. The signal peptide (SP) and β domain (β) remain in the inner and outer membranes, respectively, during export, and the α peptide (α) and γ peptide (γ) are cleaved off following export to produce the mature IgA1 protease. This export model is reviewed by Klauser et al. (17).