Flanking DNA regions of the fimbrilin gene (designatedfimA), which encodes the major subunit protein of Porphyromonas (Bacteroides) gingivalis fimbriae, were cloned in several manners from the P. gingivalis chromosome into Escherichia coli by screening with probes derived from a 2.5-kb Sacl DNA fragment previously cloned. A total of 10.4 kb of DNA fragments from the P. gingivalis genome was clo...

The a-sialyl-1J-2,3-gaIactosyl-specific adhesin (S adhesin) was isolated from cells of a recombinant Escherichia coli K-12 strain expressing the S-flmbrial adhesin complex. A crude cell extract was partiaUy dissociated into fimbriae and an adhesin-enriched fraction by heating to 7O"C. From the latter, adhesin was purified to apparent homogeneity (by fast protein liquid chromatography, immunoblo...