Characterization of MGC2, a <i>Mycoplasma gallisepticum</i> Cytadhesin with Homology to the <i>Mycoplasma pneumoniae</i> 30-Kilodalton Protein P30 and <i>Mycoplasma genitalium</i> P32

Abstract

A second cytadhesin-like protein, MGC2, was identified in the avian respiratory pathogen Mycoplasma gallisepticum. The 912-nucleotide mgc2 gene encodes a 32.6-kDa protein with 40.9 and 31.4% identity with the M. pneumoniae P30 and M. genitalium P32 cytadhesins, respectively. Functional studies with reverse transcription-PCR, immunoblotting, double-sided immunogold labeling, and attachment inhibition assays demonstrated homology to the human mycoplasmal P30 and P32 cytadhesins. These findings suggest that there is a family of cytadhesin genes conserved among pathogenic mycoplasmas infecting widely divergent hosts.