Query: NC_017501:1680075 Neisseria meningitidis 8013, complete genome Lineage: Neisseria meningitidis; Neisseria; Neisseriaceae; Neisseriales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria General Information: The second of two pathogenic Neisseria, this organism causes septicemia and is the leading cause of life-threatening meningitis (inflammation of the meninges, the membrane surrounding the brain and spinal cord) in children. This organism typically residies in the nasopharynx cavity but can invade the respiratory epthelial barrier, cross into the bloodstream and the blood brain barrier, and cause inflammation of the meninges. Pathogenicity factors include the surface proteins (porins and opacity proteins), and the type IV pilus (which is also found in Neisseria gonorrhoeae). This organism, like Neisseria gonorrhoeae, is naturally competent, and protein complexes at the cell surface recognize the uptake signal sequence in extracellular DNA, an 8mer that is found at high frequency in Neisseria chromosomal DNA.
- Sequence; - BLASTN hit (Low score = Light, High score = Dark) - hypothetical protein; - cds: hover for description
General Information: This is the type strain for this organism, which was isolated from a hydrothermal vent at a depth of 1300 m from the Lo'ihi Seamount southeast of Hawaii. This organism grows optimally in salt concentrations of 7.5 to 10%. Genome comparison has suggested that the bacterium has maintained its amino acid transport and degradation systems but lost sugar transport and certain sugar metabolic genes suggesting that it lives on amino acids rather than sugars. This may be in keeping with the environment this organism grows in, which is at hydrothermal deep sea vents that are characterized by collections of proteinaceous particles. This organism may colonize these particles by producing exopolysaccharides.