Outer membrane protein PorA from Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B (PorA)

Outer membrane protein PorA is a major surface-exposed porin found in Neisseria meningitidis, particularly in serogroup B strains. It forms trimeric channels that allow the diffusion of small hydrophilic molecules across the bacterial outer membrane. In addition to its physiological role as a nutrient channel, PorA is highly immunogenic and serves as a key target for bactericidal antibodies generated during natural infection or vaccination. Due to its strong antigenicity, it has been incorporated into several experimental and licensed outer membrane vesicle-based vaccines against group B meningococcus. However, extensive sequence variability among different strains limits broad vaccine efficacy because immunity tends to be subtype-specific; single amino acid changes can abrogate antibody binding. Despite this challenge, OMV-based vaccines containing defined variants of PorA have been used successfully in outbreak settings. The presence or absence of particular PorA subtypes is also used epidemiologically to track strain distribution and predict vaccine coverage[1][2][4][5].

Other names

Class 1 outer membrane proteinMajor outer membrane porin APorA proteinMeningococcal PorA

Induction of protective antibody responses targeting the PorA epitope to promote complement-mediated bacterial killing and prevention of infection[2][4][5].