Transferrins are iron-binding proteins that are involved in iron storage and resistance to bacterial disease. Previous work has shown that nonsynonymous-to-synonymous-site substitution ratios (d(n)/d(s) ratios) between transferrin genes from some salmonid species were significantly greater than 1.0, providing evidence for positive selection at the transferrin gene. The purpose of the current st...

Though iron is fourth in abundance in the earth crust it is not readily available to many m icroorga­ nisms: In the early days of earth life developed in a reductive atm osphere where iron necessary for many physiological processes was abundant in its divalent form. Fe2+-salts are sufficiently w ater soluble to provide an adequate supply of this elem ent to the cells. But as a consequence of th...

This study was done primarily to determine whether the previously observed specificity of the meningococcal transferrin and lactoferrin receptors for human proteins was maintained in vivo during meningococcal infection in mice. Preliminary experiments evaluating the choice of host strain, the age and sex of mice, and the growth conditions of the meningococci indicated that 45-day-old female Swi...