Description
This volume provides methods to analyze the meningococcus and its interactions with biologically relevant host cells and sites, to interrogate the population structure and biology of the meningococcus that defines its capacity to cause disease, and to aid in vaccine development and surveillance. Many of these methods are applicable to the close relative, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and several of the methods described can also be used in investigating host-pathogen interactions for a range of other organisms. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Neisseria meningitidis: Methods and Protocols will allow for the use of these methods by more laboratories and foster collaboration and consistency in investigations of this enigmatic and dangerous pathogen. 1. An Overview of Neisseria meningitides Sarah Hollingshead and Christoph M. Tang 2. Diagnosis of Meningococcal Infection Using Internally-Controlled Multiplex Real-Time PCR Ala-Eddne Deghmane, Eva Hong, and Muhamed-Kheir Taha 3. Investigating RNA-Protein Interactions in Neisseria meningitidis by RIP-Seq Analysis Nadja Heidrich, Saskia Bauriedl, and Christoph Schoen 4. Genome Sequencing and Interrogation of Genome Databases: A Guide to Neisseria meningitidis Genomics Holly Bratcher, Odile Harrison, and Martin Maiden 5. Determination of Repeat Number and Expression States of Phase-Variable Loci through Next Generation Sequencing and Bioinformatic Analysis Luke R. Green, Richard D. Haigh, and Christopher D. Bayliss 6. Screening DNA Repeat Tracts of Phase Variable Genes by Fragment Analysis Freda E.C. Jen, Kate L. Seib, and Aimee Tan 7. Sample Preparation for Proteomic Analysis of Neisseria meningitides Benjamin L. Schulz 8. Investigation of Whole Cell Meningococcal Glycan Interactions Using High Throughput Glycobiology Techniques: Glycan Array and Surface Plasmon Resonance Tsitsi D. Mubaiwa, Lauren E. Hartley-Tassell, Evgeny A. Semchenko, Christopher J. Day, Michael P. Jennings, and Kate L. Seib 9. The Detroit 562 Pharyngeal Immortalized Cell Line Model for the Assessment of Infectivity of Pathogenic Neisseria sp. Emily A. Kibble, Mitali Sarkar-Tyson, Geoffrey W. Coombs, and Charlene M. Kahler 10. In Vitro Models for Studying the Interaction of Neisseria meningitidis with Human Brain Endothelial Cells Brandon J. Kim and Alexandra Schubert-Unkmeir 11. Modeling Neisseria meningitidis Infection in Mice: Methods and Logistical Considerations for Nasal Colonization and Invasive Disease Kay O. Johswich and Scott D. Gray-Owen 12. Meningococcal Serogroup A, B, C, W, X, and Y Serum Bactericidal Antibody Assays Jay Lucidarme, Jennifer Louth, Kelly Townsend-Payne, and Ray Borrow 13. Monoclonal Antibodies against the Capsular Polysaccharides A, C, Y, W, and X of Neisseria meningitides: A Platform for the Quality Control of Meningococcal Vaccines Elizabeth Gonzlez, Ftima Reyes, Oscar Otero, Frank Camacho, Maribel Cuello, Fidel Ramrez, and Reinaldo Acevedo 14. Meningococcal Antigen Typing System (MATS): A Tool to Estimate Global Coverage for 4CMenB, a Multicomponent Meningococcal B Vaccine Giuseppe Boccadifuoco, Brunella Brunelli, Elena Mori, Mauro Agnusdei, Claudia Gianfaldoni, and Marzia Monica Giuliani 15. Flow Cytometric Assays to Quantify fHbp Expression and Detect Serotype Specific Capsular Polysaccharides on Neisseria meningitides Jakob Loschko, Karen Garcia, David Cooper, Michael Pride, and Annaliesa Anderson 16. Assessment of fHbp Expression Level by Reverse Transcriptase Quantitative PCR and Promoter Sequence Analysis Caroline Cayrou and Christopher D. Bayliss
