Physical and genetic analysis of DNA regions encoding the immunoglobulin A proteases of different specificities produced by Haemophilus influenzae.

The structural gene for immunoglobulin A protease (iga) from Haemophilus influenzae serotype d was cloned in pBR322. The gene was used as a probe for Southern hybridization analysis of chromosomal DNA from the five other H. influenzae serotypes (a, b, c, e, and f). In most cases strains from a single serotype exhibited a distinct pattern of restriction fragment(s) homologous to the iga gene probe which was unique for that serotype. Serotype f strains were unique in that they gave two distinct patterns of homologous restriction fragments which correlated well with the production of two different protease types by members of this group. An iga mutant of H. influenzae serotype d was isolated by introducing a 4-base-pair insertion into the cloned iga gene and using the altered DNA for transformation of an H. influenzae recipient. The resulting iga- mutant produced no immunoglobulin A protease but was otherwise indistinguishable from its iga+ parent in growth characteristics. Transformation of mutant cells with chromosomal DNA isolated from either a serotype d or a serotype c strain gave rise to iga+ transformants. Those obtained with serotype d DNA produced a type 1 protease, whereas those obtained with serotype c DNA produced either a type 1 protease (characteristic of serotype d) or a type 2 protease (characteristic of serotype c). Southern analysis of the latter transformants, using the iga gene probe, indicated that the type 1 transformants had a serotype d pattern of restriction fragments whereas the type 2 transformants had either a serotype c or a novel pattern of restriction fragments. These results indicate that there is considerable homology between the iga genes of the various serotypes and that the homologous sequences identified with the serotype d probe are the immunoglobulin A protease-coding sequences in each case.