fbpABC Gene Cluster in Neisseria meningitidis Is Transcribed as an Operon

Abstract

ABSTRACT The neisserial fbpABC locus has been proposed to constitute a single transcriptional unit. To confirm this operonic arrangement, transcription assays using reverse transcriptase PCR amplification were conducted with Neisseria meningitidis . The presence of fbpAB and fbpBC transcripts obtained by priming cDNA synthesis with an fbpC -sequence-specific oligonucleotide indicates that fbpABC is organized as a single expression unit. The ratio of fbpA to fbpABC mRNA was approximately between 10- to 20-fold, as determined by real-time quantitative PCR.