@phdthesis{Hagmann2020, author = {Hagmann, Hanns Antony}, title = {The impact of the CRISPR/Cas system on the interaction of Neisseria meningitidis with human host cells}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-19949}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-199490}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Neisseria meningitidis, a commensal β-proteobacterium residing exclusively in the human nasopharynx, is a leading cause of sepsis and epidemic meningitis worldwide. While comparative genome analysis was able to define hyperinvasive lineages that are responsible for most of the cases of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD), the genetic basis of their virulence remains unclear. Recent studies demonstrate that the type II C CRISPR/Cas system of meningococci is associated with carriage and less invasive lineages. CRISPR/Cas, an adaptive defence system against foreign DNA, was shown to be involved in gene regulation in Francisella novicida. This study shows that knockout strains of N. meningitidis lacking the Cas9 protein are impaired in the adhesion to human nasopharyngeal cells in a strain-dependant manner, which constitutes a central step in the pathogenesis of IMD. Consequently, this study indicates that the meningococcal CRISPR/Cas system fulfils functions beyond the defence of foreign DNA and is involved in the regulation of meningococcal virulence.}, subject = {CRISPR/Cas-Methode}, language = {en} }