What is Porb?

What is porb?

Porb is an abbreviation of “porin B”, an enzyme from the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae that is involved in the acquisition of small molecules. It is a highly conserved protein across strains, and deletion experiments have revealed that it is essential for the viability of N. gonorrhoeae [14]. PorB is also targeted as part of a gonococcal vaccine, and the insertion of DNA encoding PorB into Salmonella enteritidis ghosts resulted in the production of PorB-specific antibodies when administered to mice.

Furthermore, PorB is capable of facilitating ion exchange between the bacterial cell and its environment, with evidence that it is selective for anions [9]. Additionally, gonococcal PorB proteins have been shown to interact with ATP to modulate inflammatory responses during infection. Some PorB proteins are also able to bind negative regulators of complement, a key component of the innate immune system, and this property can be exploited to develop novel gonococcal vaccines.