Molecular analysis of a Leptospira borgpetersenii gene encoding an endoflagellar subunit protein

Abstract

A flagellin gene, flaB, from Leptospira borgpetersenii (formerly L. interrogans) serovar hardjo was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. Expression of the 32 kDa FlaB protein was dependent upon the lacZ promoter from pUC18. Nucleotide sequence data showed an open reading frame encoding 283 amino acid residues, corresponding to a protein of molecular mass 31.3 kDa. The G + C content of the flaB gene was 54.7 mol%. Comparison of the deduced FlaB amino acid sequence with flagellins from other bacteria revealed a high level of identity with the Treponema pallidum FlaB proteins.