IDENTIFICATION AND CLONING OF A FUR HOMOLOG FROM NEISSERIA-MENINGITIDIS

The iron response in a number of bacterial systems is mediated by fur (ferric uptake regulation)-like regulatory systems. We have cloned and characterized a gene from Neisseria meningitidis that was homologous to Escherichia coli fur. This clone was capable of modulating expressi on from both E. coli and neisserial iron-regulated promoters in respon se to iron, and it produced a protein that reacted with anti-E. coli f ur serum. Although the DNA and predicted amino acid sequences were ver y similar to those of four other published fur homologues, meningococc al fur was the most divergent of the group. Inability to construct a m eningococcal fur mutant suggested that fur may be essential in this sp ecies.