THE SEQUENCE OF THE GROES AND GROEL GENES FROM THE MOUSE PNEUMONITIS AGENT OF CHLAMYDIA-TRACHOMATIS

The co-transcribed structural genes, groES and groEL, of the groE stress response operon from Chlamydia trachomatis mouse pneumonitis (MoPn), were cloned and sequenced. The calculated molecular masses of the encoded heat-shock proteins (Hsp), a small Hsp (GroES) and Hsp60 (GroEL), are 11089 and 58367 Da, respectively. By comparison with other known chlamydial groES and groEL sequences, there is 89 and 94% nucleotide (nt) identity with C. trachomatis human strains (serovars A and L2), 77 and 82% with C. psittaci strain GPIC, and 75 and 80% with C. pneumoniae isolate AR-39. At the amino-acid level, the MoPn Hsp60 shows a 99% identity with those from C. trachomatis human strains. In a mouse model, MoPn Hsp60 could prove useful in deciphering the pathogenesis of human chlamydial diseases.