1
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Squires RA, Crawford C, Marcondes M, Whitley N. 2024 guidelines for the vaccination of dogs and cats - compiled by the Vaccination Guidelines Group (VGG) of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA). J Small Anim Pract 2024; 65:277-316. [PMID: 38568777 DOI: 10.1111/jsap.13718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- R A Squires
- Formerly, Discipline of Veterinary Science, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4814, Australia
| | - C Crawford
- College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, 2015 SW 16th Avenue, Gainesville, FL, 32608, USA
| | - M Marcondes
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Surgery and Animal Reproduction, São Paulo State University, Rua Sergipe 575, ap. 32, São Paulo, 01243-001, SP, Brazil
| | - N Whitley
- Internal Medicine, Davies Veterinary Specialists, Manor Farm Business Park, Higham Gobion, Hertfordshire, SG5 3HR, UK
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2
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Mechai S, Coatsworth H, Ogden NH. Possible effect of mutations on serological detection of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto ospC major groups: An in-silico study. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0292741. [PMID: 37815990 PMCID: PMC10564231 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The outer surface protein C (OspC) of the agent of Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, is a major lipoprotein surface-expressed during early-phase human infections. Antibodies to OspC are used in serological diagnoses. This study explored the hypothesis that serological test sensitivity decreases as genetic similarity of ospC major groups (MGs) of infecting strains, and ospC A (the MG in the strain B31 used to prepare antigen for serodiagnosis assays) decreases. We used a previously published microarray dataset to compare serological reactivity to ospC A (measured as pixel intensity) versus reactivity to 22 other ospC MGs, within a population of 55 patients diagnosed by two-tier serological testing using B. burgdorferi s.s. strain B31 as antigen, in which the ospC MG is OspC A. The difference in reactivity of sera to ospC A and reactivity to each of the other 22 ospC MGs (termed 'reactivity difference') was the outcome variable in regression analysis in which genetic distance of the ospC MGs from ospC A was the explanatory variable. Genetic distance was computed for the whole ospC sequence, and 9 subsections, from Neighbour Joining phylogenetic trees of the 23 ospC MGs. Regression analysis was conducted using genetic distance for the full ospC sequence, and the subsections individually. There was a significant association between the reactivity difference and genetic distance of ospC MGs from ospC A: increased genetic distance reduced reactivity to OspC A. No single ospC subsection sequence fully explained the relationship between genetic distance and reactivity difference. An analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms supported a biological explanation via specific amino acid modifications likely to change protein binding affinity. This adds support to the hypothesis that genetic diversity of B. burgdorferi s.s. (here specifically OspC) may impact serological diagnostic test performance. Further prospective studies are necessary to explore the clinical implications of these findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samir Mechai
- Public Health Risk Sciences, National Microbiology Laboratory Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada, St Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
- Groupe de Recherche en Épidémiologie des Zoonoses et Santé Publique (GREZOSP), Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, St Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
| | - Heather Coatsworth
- One Health Division, National Microbiology Laboratory Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Nicholas H. Ogden
- Public Health Risk Sciences, National Microbiology Laboratory Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada, St Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
- Groupe de Recherche en Épidémiologie des Zoonoses et Santé Publique (GREZOSP), Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, St Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
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3
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Di L, Akther S, Bezrucenkovas E, Ivanova L, Sulkow B, Wu B, Mneimneh S, Gomes-Solecki M, Qiu WG. Maximum antigen diversification in a lyme bacterial population and evolutionary strategies to overcome pathogen diversity. THE ISME JOURNAL 2022; 16:447-464. [PMID: 34413477 PMCID: PMC8376116 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-021-01089-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Revised: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Natural populations of pathogens and their hosts are engaged in an arms race in which the pathogens diversify to escape host immunity while the hosts evolve novel immunity. This co-evolutionary process poses a fundamental challenge to the development of broadly effective vaccines and diagnostics against a diversifying pathogen. Based on surveys of natural allele frequencies and experimental immunization of mice, we show high antigenic specificities of natural variants of the outer surface protein C (OspC), a dominant antigen of a Lyme Disease-causing bacterium (Borrelia burgdorferi). To overcome the challenge of OspC antigenic diversity to clinical development of preventive measures, we implemented a number of evolution-informed strategies to broaden OspC antigenic reactivity. In particular, the centroid algorithm-a genetic algorithm to generate sequences that minimize amino-acid differences with natural variants-generated synthetic OspC analogs with the greatest promise as diagnostic and vaccine candidates against diverse Lyme pathogen strains co-existing in the Northeast United States. Mechanistically, we propose a model of maximum antigen diversification (MAD) mediated by amino-acid variations distributed across the hypervariable regions on the OspC molecule. Under the MAD hypothesis, evolutionary centroids display broad cross-reactivity by occupying the central void in the antigenic space excavated by diversifying natural variants. In contrast to vaccine designs based on concatenated epitopes, the evolutionary algorithms generate analogs of natural antigens and are automated. The novel centroid algorithm and the evolutionary antigen designs based on consensus and ancestral sequences have broad implications for combating diversifying pathogens driven by pathogen-host co-evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lia Di
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Saymon Akther
- Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Edgaras Bezrucenkovas
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Larisa Ivanova
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA
- Pediatrics Department, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA
| | - Brian Sulkow
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Bing Wu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Saad Mneimneh
- Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Maria Gomes-Solecki
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Wei-Gang Qiu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA.
- Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics & Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weil Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA.
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4
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Camire AC, Hatke AL, King VL, Millership J, Ritter DM, Sobell N, Weber A, Marconi RT. Comparative analysis of antibody responses to outer surface protein (Osp)A and OspC in dogs vaccinated with Lyme disease vaccines. Vet J 2021; 273:105676. [PMID: 34148599 PMCID: PMC8254658 DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2021.105676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2020] [Revised: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Lyme disease (LD), the most common tick-borne disease of canines and humans in N. America, is caused by the spirochete Borreliella burgdorferi. Subunit and bacterin vaccines are available for the prevention of LD in dogs. LD bacterin vaccines, which are comprised of cell lysates of two strains of B. burgdorferi, contain over 1000 different proteins and cellular constituents. In contrast, subunit vaccines are defined in composition and consist of either outer surface protein (Osp)A or OspA and an OspC chimeritope. In this study, we comparatively assessed antibody responses to OspA and OspC induced by vaccination with all canine bacterin and subunit LD vaccines that are commercially available in North America. Dogs were administered a two-dose series of the vaccine to which they were assigned (3 weeks apart): Subunit-AC, Subunit-A, Bacterin-1, and Bacterin-2. Antibody titers to OspA and OspC were determined by ELISA and the ability of each vaccine to elicit antibodies that recognize diverse OspC proteins (referred to as OspC types) assessed by immunoblot. While all of the vaccines elicited similar OspA antibody responses, only Subunit-AC triggered a robust and broadly cross-reactive antibody response to divergent OspC proteins. The data presented within provide new information regarding vaccination-induced antibody responses to key tick and mammalian phase antigens by both subunit and bacterin LD canine vaccine formulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- A C Camire
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, 1112 East Clay Street, McGuire Hall Room 101, Richmond, VA 23298-0678, USA
| | - A L Hatke
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, 1112 East Clay Street, McGuire Hall Room 101, Richmond, VA 23298-0678, USA
| | - V L King
- Zoetis Inc., 333 Portage Road, Kalamazoo, MI 49007-4931, USA
| | - J Millership
- Zoetis Inc., 333 Portage Road, Kalamazoo, MI 49007-4931, USA
| | - D M Ritter
- Zoetis Inc., 333 Portage Road, Kalamazoo, MI 49007-4931, USA
| | - N Sobell
- Zoetis Inc., 333 Portage Road, Kalamazoo, MI 49007-4931, USA
| | - A Weber
- Zoetis Inc., 333 Portage Road, Kalamazoo, MI 49007-4931, USA
| | - R T Marconi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, 1112 East Clay Street, McGuire Hall Room 101, Richmond, VA 23298-0678, USA.
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5
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O'Bier NS, Hatke AL, Camire AC, Marconi RT. Human and Veterinary Vaccines for Lyme Disease. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2020; 42:191-222. [PMID: 33289681 DOI: 10.21775/cimb.042.191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Lyme disease (LD) is an emerging zoonotic infection that is increasing in incidence in North America, Europe, and Asia. With the development of safe and efficacious vaccines, LD can potentially be prevented. Vaccination offers a cost-effective and safe approach for decreasing the risk of infection. While LD vaccines have been widely used in veterinary medicine, they are not available as a preventive tool for humans. Central to the development of effective vaccines is an understanding of the enzootic cycle of LD, differential gene expression of Borrelia burgdorferi in response to environmental variables, and the genetic and antigenic diversity of the unique bacteria that cause this debilitating disease. Here we review these areas as they pertain to past and present efforts to develop human, veterinary, and reservoir targeting LD vaccines. In addition, we offer a brief overview of additional preventative measures that should employed in conjunction with vaccination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel S O'Bier
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Amanda L Hatke
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Andrew C Camire
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Richard T Marconi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
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6
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Marconi RT, Garcia-Tapia D, Hoevers J, Honsberger N, King VL, Ritter D, Schwahn DJ, Swearingin L, Weber A, Winkler MTC, Millership J. VANGUARD®crLyme: A next generation Lyme disease vaccine that prevents B. burgdorferi infection in dogs. Vaccine X 2020; 6:100079. [PMID: 33336185 PMCID: PMC7733144 DOI: 10.1016/j.jvacx.2020.100079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Revised: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Lyme disease, a public health threat of significance to both veterinary and human medicine, is caused by the tick (Ixodes) transmitted spirochete, Borreliella burgdorferi. Here we report on the immunogenicity and efficacy of VANGUARD®crLyme (Zoetis), the most recent canine Lyme disease vaccine to be approved by the United States Department of Agriculture. VANGUARD®crLyme is a subunit vaccine consisting of outer surface protein A (OspA) and a recombinant outer surface protein C (OspC) based-chimeric epitope protein (chimeritope) that consists of at least 14 different linear epitopes derived from diverse OspC proteins. The combination of OspA and the OspC chimeritope (Ch14) in the vaccine formulation allows for the development of humoral immune responses that work synergistically to target spirochetes in both ticks and in mammals. Immunogenicity was assessed in purpose-bred dogs. A two-dose vaccination protocol resulted in high antibody titers to OspA and Ch14 and vaccinal antibody reacted with 25 different recombinant OspC variants. Efficacy was demonstrated using an Ixodes scapularis -purpose bred dog challenge model. Vaccination with VANGUARD®crLyme provided protection against infection and prevented the development of clinical manifestations and histopathological changes associated with Lyme disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard T Marconi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, Richmond, VA 23298-0678, United States
| | | | | | - Nicole Honsberger
- Zoetis Inc., 333 Portage Road, Kalamazoo, MI 49007-4931, United States
| | - Vickie L King
- Zoetis Inc., 333 Portage Road, Kalamazoo, MI 49007-4931, United States
| | - Dianne Ritter
- Zoetis Inc., 333 Portage Road, Kalamazoo, MI 49007-4931, United States
| | - Denise J Schwahn
- Zoetis Inc., 333 Portage Road, Kalamazoo, MI 49007-4931, United States
| | - Leroy Swearingin
- Zoetis Inc., 333 Portage Road, Kalamazoo, MI 49007-4931, United States
| | - Angela Weber
- Zoetis Inc., 333 Portage Road, Kalamazoo, MI 49007-4931, United States
| | | | - Jason Millership
- Zoetis Inc., 333 Portage Road, Kalamazoo, MI 49007-4931, United States
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7
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Guibinga GH, Sahay B, Brown H, Cooch N, Chen J, Yan J, Reed C, Mishra M, Yung B, Pugh H, Schultheis K, Esquivel RN, Weiner DB, Humeau LH, Broderick KE, Smith TR. Protection against Borreliella burgdorferi infection mediated by a synthetically engineered DNA vaccine. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2020; 16:2114-2122. [PMID: 32783701 PMCID: PMC7553707 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2020.1789408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in North America. The etiological agent is the spirochete Borreliella burgdorferi, transmitted to mammalian hosts by the Ixodes tick. In recent years there has been an increase in the number of cases of Lyme disease. Currently, there is no vaccine on the market for human use. We describe the development of a novel synthetically engineered DNA vaccine, pLD1 targeting the outer-surface protein A (OspA) of Borreliella burgdorferi. Immunization of C3 H/HeN mice with pLD1 elicits robust humoral and cellular immune responses that confer complete protection against a live Borreliella burgdorferi bacterial challenge. We also assessed intradermal (ID) delivery of pLD1 in Hartley guinea pigs, demonstrating the induction of robust and durable humoral immunity that lasts at least 1 year. We provide evidence of the potency of pLD1 by showing that antibodies targeting the OspA epitopes which have been associated with protection are prominently raised in the immunized guinea pigs. The described study provides the basis for the advancement of pDL1 as a potential vaccine for Lyme disease control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ghiabe H. Guibinga
- Department of Research and Development, Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | - Bikash Sahay
- College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Heather Brown
- Department of Research and Development, Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | - Neil Cooch
- Department of Research and Development, Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | - Jing Chen
- Department of Research and Development, Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | - Jian Yan
- Department of Research and Development, Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | - Charles Reed
- Department of Research and Development, Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | - Meerambika Mishra
- College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Bryan Yung
- Department of Research and Development, Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | - Holly Pugh
- Department of Research and Development, Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | - Katherine Schultheis
- Department of Research and Development, Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | - Rianne N. Esquivel
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - David B. Weiner
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Laurent H. Humeau
- Department of Research and Development, Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | - Kate E. Broderick
- Department of Research and Development, Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | - Trevor R.F. Smith
- Department of Research and Development, Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA,CONTACT Trevor R.F. Smith Inovio Pharmaceuticals, San Diego, CA92121
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Izac JR, O'Bier NS, Oliver LD, Camire AC, Earnhart CG, LeBlanc Rhodes DV, Young BF, Parnham SR, Davies C, Marconi RT. Development and optimization of OspC chimeritope vaccinogens for Lyme disease. Vaccine 2020; 38:1915-1924. [PMID: 31959423 PMCID: PMC7085410 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2020.01.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2019] [Revised: 01/07/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Experimental Outer surface protein (Osp) C based subunit chimeritope vaccinogens for Lyme disease (LD) were assessed for immunogenicity, structure, ability to elicit antibody (Ab) responses to divergent OspC proteins, and bactericidal activity. Chimeritopes are chimeric epitope based proteins that consist of linear epitopes derived from multiple proteins or multiple variants of a protein. An inherent advantage to chimeritope vaccinogens is that they can be constructed to trigger broadly protective Ab responses. Three OspC chimeritope proteins were comparatively assessed: Chv1, Chv2 and Chv3. The Chv proteins possess the same set of 18 linear epitopes derived from 9 OspC type proteins but differ in the physical ordering of epitopes or by the presence or absence of linkers. All Chv proteins were immunogenic in mice and rats eliciting high titer Ab. Immunoblot and enzyme linked immunosorbent assays demonstrated that the Chv proteins elicit IgG that recognizes a diverse array of OspC type proteins. The panel included OspC proteins produced by N. American and European strains of the LD spirochetes. Rat anti-Chv antisera uniformly labeled intact, non-permeabilized Borreliella burgdorferi demonstrating that vaccinal Ab can bind to targets that are naturally presented on the spirochete cell surface. Vaccinal Ab also displayed potent complement dependent-Ab mediated killing activity. This study highlights the ability of OspC chimeritopes to serve as vaccinogens that trigger potentially broadly protective Ab responses. In addition to the current use of an OspC chimeritope in a canine LD vaccine, chimeritopes can serve as key components of human LD subunit vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerilyn R Izac
- Dept. Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, Richmond, VA 23298-0678, United States
| | - Nathaniel S O'Bier
- Dept. Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, Richmond, VA 23298-0678, United States
| | - Lee D Oliver
- Dept. Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, Richmond, VA 23298-0678, United States
| | - Andrew C Camire
- Dept. Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, Richmond, VA 23298-0678, United States
| | - Christopher G Earnhart
- Dept. Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, Richmond, VA 23298-0678, United States
| | | | - Brandon F Young
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Stuart R Parnham
- Dept. Biochem. & Biophysics, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States
| | - Christopher Davies
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Richard T Marconi
- Dept. Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, Richmond, VA 23298-0678, United States.
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Schwan TG, Raffel SJ, Battisti JM. Transgenic functional complementation with a transmission -associated protein restores spirochete infectivity by tick bite. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2020; 11:101377. [PMID: 32005628 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2020.101377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Revised: 01/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/17/2020] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The relapsing fever spirochete Borrelia hermsii and the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto each produces an abundant, orthologous, outer membrane protein, Vtp and OspC, respectively, when transmitted by tick bite. Gene inactivation studies have shown that both proteins are essential for spirochete infectivity when transmitted by their respective tick vectors. Therefore, we transformed a vtp-minus mutant of B. hermsii with ospC from B. burgdorferi and examined the behavior of this transgenic spirochete in its soft tick vector Ornithodoros hermsi. IFA staining indicated up to 97.8 % of the transgenic B. hermsii upregulated OspC in the ticks' salivary glands compared to no more than 12.8 % in the midgut, similar to our previous findings with wild-type B. hermsii producing Vtp. Transformation with ospC also restored B. hermsii infectivity to mice when fed upon by infected ticks. Previous sequence analysis of Vtp for 79 isolates and DNA samples of B. hermsii in our laboratory showed this protein is highly polymorphic with 9 divergent amino acid types, yet strikingly the signal peptide is identical among all samples and the same for all OspC signal peptides for B. burgdorferi and related species examined to date. Searches in multiple genome sequences for other species of relapsing fever spirochetes failed to find the same signal peptide sequence to help identify potential transmission-associated proteins. However, some candidate signal peptides with highly similar sequences were found and worthy of future efforts with other species. While OspC of B. burgdorferi restored infectivity to a Vtp-minus mutant of B. hermsii, the functions of these proteins are not known. Our results should stimulate investigators to search for orthologous transmission-associated proteins in other tick-borne spirochetes to better understand how this group of pathogens has coevolved with diverse tick vectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom G Schwan
- Laboratory of Zoonotic Pathogens, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 903 South 4th Street, Hamilton, MT, 59840, USA.
| | - Sandra J Raffel
- Laboratory of Zoonotic Pathogens, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 903 South 4th Street, Hamilton, MT, 59840, USA
| | - James M Battisti
- Laboratory of Zoonotic Pathogens, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 903 South 4th Street, Hamilton, MT, 59840, USA
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10
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Bamm VV, Ko JT, Mainprize IL, Sanderson VP, Wills MKB. Lyme Disease Frontiers: Reconciling Borrelia Biology and Clinical Conundrums. Pathogens 2019; 8:E299. [PMID: 31888245 PMCID: PMC6963551 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens8040299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2019] [Revised: 12/06/2019] [Accepted: 12/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Lyme disease is a complex tick-borne zoonosis that poses an escalating public health threat in several parts of the world, despite sophisticated healthcare infrastructure and decades of effort to address the problem. Concepts like the true burden of the illness, from incidence rates to longstanding consequences of infection, and optimal case management, also remain shrouded in controversy. At the heart of this multidisciplinary issue are the causative spirochetal pathogens belonging to the Borrelia Lyme complex. Their unusual physiology and versatile lifestyle have challenged microbiologists, and may also hold the key to unlocking mysteries of the disease. The goal of this review is therefore to integrate established and emerging concepts of Borrelia biology and pathogenesis, and position them in the broader context of biomedical research and clinical practice. We begin by considering the conventions around diagnosing and characterizing Lyme disease that have served as a conceptual framework for the discipline. We then explore virulence from the perspective of both host (genetic and environmental predispositions) and pathogen (serotypes, dissemination, and immune modulation), as well as considering antimicrobial strategies (lab methodology, resistance, persistence, and clinical application), and borrelial adaptations of hypothesized medical significance (phenotypic plasticity or pleomorphy).
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Melanie K. B. Wills
- G. Magnotta Lyme Disease Research Lab, Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada; (V.V.B.); (J.T.K.); (I.L.M.); (V.P.S.)
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11
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Caimano MJ, Groshong AM, Belperron A, Mao J, Hawley KL, Luthra A, Graham DE, Earnhart CG, Marconi RT, Bockenstedt LK, Blevins JS, Radolf JD. The RpoS Gatekeeper in Borrelia burgdorferi: An Invariant Regulatory Scheme That Promotes Spirochete Persistence in Reservoir Hosts and Niche Diversity. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:1923. [PMID: 31507550 PMCID: PMC6719511 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.01923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2019] [Accepted: 08/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Maintenance of Borrelia burgdorferi within its enzootic cycle requires a complex regulatory pathway involving the alternative σ factors RpoN and RpoS and two ancillary trans-acting factors, BosR and Rrp2. Activation of this pathway occurs within ticks during the nymphal blood meal when RpoS, the effector σ factor, transcribes genes required for tick transmission and mammalian infection. RpoS also exerts a 'gatekeeper' function by repressing σ70-dependent tick phase genes (e.g., ospA, lp6.6). Herein, we undertook a broad examination of RpoS functionality throughout the enzootic cycle, beginning with modeling to confirm that this alternative σ factor is a 'genuine' RpoS homolog. Using a novel dual color reporter system, we established at the single spirochete level that ospA is expressed in nymphal midguts throughout transmission and is not downregulated until spirochetes have been transmitted to a naïve host. Although it is well established that rpoS/RpoS is expressed throughout infection, its requirement for persistent infection has not been demonstrated. Plasmid retention studies using a trans-complemented ΔrpoS mutant demonstrated that (i) RpoS is required for maximal fitness throughout the mammalian phase and (ii) RpoS represses tick phase genes until spirochetes are acquired by a naïve vector. By transposon mutant screening, we established that bba34/oppA5, the only OppA oligopeptide-binding protein controlled by RpoS, is a bona fide persistence gene. Lastly, comparison of the strain 297 and B31 RpoS DMC regulons identified two cohorts of RpoS-regulated genes. The first consists of highly conserved syntenic genes that are similarly regulated by RpoS in both strains and likely required for maintenance of B. burgdorferi sensu stricto strains in the wild. The second includes RpoS-regulated plasmid-encoded variable surface lipoproteins ospC, dbpA and members of the ospE/ospF/elp, mlp, revA, and Pfam54 paralogous gene families, all of which have evolved via inter- and intra-strain recombination. Thus, while the RpoN/RpoS pathway regulates a 'core' group of orthologous genes, diversity within RpoS regulons of different strains could be an important determinant of reservoir host range as well as spirochete virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa J. Caimano
- Department of Medicine, UConn Health, Farmington, CT, United States,Department of Pediatrics, UConn Health, Farmington, CT, United States,Department of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, UConn Health, Farmington, CT, United States,*Correspondence: Melissa J. Caimano,
| | | | - Alexia Belperron
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Jialing Mao
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Kelly L. Hawley
- Department of Pediatrics, UConn Health, Farmington, CT, United States,Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, Hartford, CT, United States
| | - Amit Luthra
- Department of Medicine, UConn Health, Farmington, CT, United States
| | - Danielle E. Graham
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, United States
| | - Christopher G. Earnhart
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Richard T. Marconi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Linda K. Bockenstedt
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Jon S. Blevins
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, United States
| | - Justin D. Radolf
- Department of Medicine, UConn Health, Farmington, CT, United States,Department of Pediatrics, UConn Health, Farmington, CT, United States,Department of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, UConn Health, Farmington, CT, United States,Department of Genetics and Genome Science, UConn Health, Farmington, CT, United States,Department of Immunology, UConn Health, Farmington, CT, United States
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