1
|
Brangulis K, Akopjana I, Bogans J, Kazaks A, Tars K. Structural studies of chromosomally encoded outer surface lipoprotein BB0158 from Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2024; 15:102287. [PMID: 38016210 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2023.102287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023]
Abstract
Lyme disease, or also known as Lyme borreliosis, is caused by the spirochetes belonging to the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex, which can enter the human body following the bite of an infected tick. Many membrane lipid-bound proteins, also known as lipoproteins, are located on the surface of B. burgdorferi sensu lato and play a crucial role in the spirochete to interact with its environment, whether in ticks or mammals. Since the spirochete needs to perform various tasks, such as resisting the host's immune system or spreading throughout the organism, it is not surprising that numerous surface proteins have been found to be essential for B. burgdorferi sensu lato complex bacteria in causing Lyme disease. In this study, we have determined (at 2.4 Å resolution) and characterized the 3D structure of BB0158, one of the few chromosomally encoded outer surface proteins from B. burgdorferi sensu stricto. BB0158 belongs to the paralogous gene family 44 (PFam44), consisting of four other members (BB0159, BBA04, BBE09 and BBK52). The characterization of BB0158, which appears to form a domain-swapped dimer, in conjunction with the characterization of the corresponding PFam44 members, certainly contribute to our understanding of B. burgdorferi sensu stricto proteins.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kalvis Brangulis
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Ratsupites 1 k-1, Riga LV-1067, Latvia.
| | - Inara Akopjana
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Ratsupites 1 k-1, Riga LV-1067, Latvia
| | - Janis Bogans
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Ratsupites 1 k-1, Riga LV-1067, Latvia
| | - Andris Kazaks
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Ratsupites 1 k-1, Riga LV-1067, Latvia
| | - Kaspars Tars
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Ratsupites 1 k-1, Riga LV-1067, Latvia
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Brangulis K, Drunka L, Akopjana I, Tars K. Structure of the Borrelia burgdorferi ATP-dependent metalloprotease FtsH in its functionally relevant hexameric form. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2024; 1872:140969. [PMID: 37852516 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2023.140969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
ATP-dependent proteases FtsH are conserved in bacteria, mitochondria, and chloroplasts, where they play an essential role in degradation of misfolded/unneeded membrane and cytosolic proteins. It has also been demonstrated that the FtsH homologous protein BB0789 is crucial for mouse and tick infectivity and in vitro growth of the Lyme disease-causing agent Borrelia burgdorferi. This is not surprising, considering B. burgdorferi complex life cycle, residing in both in mammals and ticks, which requires a wide range of membrane proteins and short-lived cytosolic regulatory proteins to invade and persist in the host organism. In the current study, we have solved the crystal structure of the cytosolic BB0789166-614, lacking both N-terminal transmembrane α-helices and the small periplasmic domain. The structure revealed the arrangement of the AAA+ ATPase and the zinc-dependent metalloprotease domains in a hexamer ring, which is essential for ATPase and proteolytic activity. The AAA+ domain was found in an ADP-bound state, while the protease domain showed coordination of a zinc ion by two histidine residues and one aspartic acid residue. The loop region that forms the central pore in the oligomer was poorly defined in the crystal structure and therefore predicted by AlphaFold to complement the missing structural details, providing a complete picture of the functionally relevant hexameric form of BB0789. We confirmed that BB0789 is functionally active, possessing both protease and ATPase activities, thus providing novel structural-functional insights into the protein, which is known to be absolutely necessary for B. burgdorferi to survive and cause Lyme disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kalvis Brangulis
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Ratsupites 1 k-1, LV-1067 Riga, Latvia; Department of Human Physiology and Biochemistry, Riga Stradins University, Dzirciema 16, LV-1007 Riga, Latvia.
| | - Laura Drunka
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Ratsupites 1 k-1, LV-1067 Riga, Latvia
| | - Inara Akopjana
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Ratsupites 1 k-1, LV-1067 Riga, Latvia
| | - Kaspars Tars
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Ratsupites 1 k-1, LV-1067 Riga, Latvia
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Grassmann AA, Tokarz R, Golino C, McLain MA, Groshong AM, Radolf JD, Caimano MJ. BosR and PlzA reciprocally regulate RpoS function to sustain Borrelia burgdorferi in ticks and mammals. J Clin Invest 2023; 133:e166710. [PMID: 36649080 PMCID: PMC9974103 DOI: 10.1172/jci166710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The RNA polymerase alternative σ factor RpoS in Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb), the Lyme disease pathogen, is responsible for programmatic-positive and -negative gene regulation essential for the spirochete's dual-host enzootic cycle. RpoS is expressed during tick-to-mammal transmission and throughout mammalian infection. Although the mammalian-phase RpoS regulon is well described, its counterpart during the transmission blood meal is unknown. Here, we used Bb-specific transcript enrichment by tick-borne disease capture sequencing (TBDCapSeq) to compare the transcriptomes of WT and ΔrpoS Bb in engorged nymphs and following mammalian host-adaptation within dialysis membrane chambers. TBDCapSeq revealed dramatic changes in the contours of the RpoS regulon within ticks and mammals and further confirmed that RpoS-mediated repression is specific to the mammalian-phase of Bb's enzootic cycle. We also provide evidence that RpoS-dependent gene regulation, including repression of tick-phase genes, is required for persistence in mice. Comparative transcriptomics of engineered Bb strains revealed that the Borrelia oxidative stress response regulator (BosR), a noncanonical Fur family member, and the cyclic diguanosine monophosphate (c-di-GMP) effector PlzA reciprocally regulate the function of RNA polymerase complexed with RpoS. BosR is required for RpoS-mediated transcription activation and repression in addition to its well-defined role promoting transcription of rpoS by the RNA polymerase alternative σ factor RpoN. During transmission, ligand-bound PlzA antagonizes RpoS-mediated repression, presumably acting through BosR.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Rafal Tokarz
- Center for Infection and Immunity and
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Caroline Golino
- Department of Medicine, UConn Health, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
| | | | - Ashley M. Groshong
- Department of Medicine, UConn Health, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
- Department of Pediatrics
| | - Justin D. Radolf
- Department of Medicine, UConn Health, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
- Department of Pediatrics
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biophysics
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, and
- Department of Immunology, UConn Health, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
| | - Melissa J. Caimano
- Department of Medicine, UConn Health, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
- Department of Pediatrics
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biophysics
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Structural Analysis of the Outer Membrane Lipoprotein BBA14 (OrfD) and the Corresponding Paralogous Gene Family 143 (PFam143) from Borrelia burgdorferi. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11020154. [PMID: 35215098 PMCID: PMC8877311 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11020154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2021] [Revised: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Lyme disease is caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, which can be transmitted to a mammalian host when infected Ixodes ticks feed. B. burgdorferi has many unique characteristics, such as the presence of at least 130 different lipoproteins, which is considerably more than any other known bacterium. Moreover, the B. burgdorferi genome is relatively small (1.5 Mbp) but at the same time it is quite complicated because it comprises a chromosome and 21 linear and circular plasmids. B. burgdorferi is also rich in paralogous proteins; in total, there are approximately 150 paralogous gene families. Equally important is the fact that there is still no vaccine against the Lyme disease. To better understand the role of lipoproteins in this unique bacterium, we solved the crystal structure of the outer membrane lipoprotein BBA14, which is coded on the relatively stable linear plasmid 54 (lp54). BBA14 does not share sequence identity with any other known proteins, and it is one of the ten members of the paralogous gene family 143 (PFam143). PFam143 members are known as orfD proteins from a genetic locus, designated 2.9. The obtained crystal structure revealed similarity to the antitoxin from the epsilon/zeta toxin-antitoxin system. The results of this study help to characterize BBA14 and to clarify the role of PFam143 in the lifecycle of B. burgdorferi.
Collapse
|
5
|
Hart TM, Dupuis AP, Tufts DM, Blom AM, Starkey SR, Rego ROM, Ram S, Kraiczy P, Kramer LD, Diuk-Wasser MA, Kolokotronis SO, Lin YP. Host tropism determination by convergent evolution of immunological evasion in the Lyme disease system. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009801. [PMID: 34324600 PMCID: PMC8354441 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Pathogens possess the ability to adapt and survive in some host species but not in others-an ecological trait known as host tropism. Transmitted through ticks and carried mainly by mammals and birds, the Lyme disease (LD) bacterium is a well-suited model to study such tropism. Three main causative agents of LD, Borrelia burgdorferi, B. afzelii, and B. garinii, vary in host ranges through mechanisms eluding characterization. By feeding ticks infected with different Borrelia species, utilizing feeding chambers and live mice and quail, we found species-level differences in bacterial transmission. These differences localize on the tick blood meal, and specifically complement, a defense in vertebrate blood, and a polymorphic bacterial protein, CspA, which inactivates complement by binding to a host complement inhibitor, Factor H (FH). CspA selectively confers bacterial transmission to vertebrates that produce FH capable of allele-specific recognition. CspA is the only member of the Pfam54 gene family to exhibit host-specific FH-binding. Phylogenetic analyses revealed convergent evolution as the driver of such uniqueness, and that FH-binding likely emerged during the last glacial maximum. Our results identify a determinant of host tropism in Lyme disease infection, thus defining an evolutionary mechanism that shapes host-pathogen associations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas M. Hart
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, United States of America
- Department of Biological Sciences, State University of New York at Albany, Albany, New York, United States of America
| | - Alan P. Dupuis
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, United States of America
| | - Danielle M. Tufts
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Anna M. Blom
- Division of Medical Protein Chemistry, Department of Translational Medicine, Lund University, Malmo, Sweden
| | - Simon R. Starkey
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, United States of America
| | - Ryan O. M. Rego
- Institute of Parasitology, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Sanjay Ram
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Peter Kraiczy
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital of Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Laura D. Kramer
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Albany, Albany, New York, United States of America
| | - Maria A. Diuk-Wasser
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Sergios-Orestis Kolokotronis
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, New York, United States of America
- Institute for Genomic Health, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, New York, United States of America
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, New York, United States of America
| | - Yi-Pin Lin
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Albany, Albany, New York, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Cole GB, Bateman TJ, Moraes TF. The surface lipoproteins of gram-negative bacteria: Protectors and foragers in harsh environments. J Biol Chem 2021; 296:100147. [PMID: 33277359 PMCID: PMC7857515 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.rev120.008745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Revised: 12/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Gram-negative pathogens are enveloped by an outer membrane that serves as a double-edged sword: On the one hand, it provides a layer of protection for the bacterium from environmental insults, including other bacteria and the host immune system. On the other hand, it restricts movement of vital nutrients into the cell and provides a plethora of antigens that can be detected by host immune systems. One strategy used to overcome these limitations is the decoration of the outer surface of gram-negative bacteria with proteins tethered to the outer membrane through a lipid anchor. These surface lipoproteins (SLPs) fulfill critical roles in immune evasion and nutrient acquisition, but as more bacterial genomes are sequenced, we are beginning to discover their prevalence and their different roles and mechanisms and importantly how we can exploit them as antimicrobial targets. This review will focus on representative SLPs that gram-negative bacteria use to overcome host innate immunity, specifically the areas of nutritional immunity and complement system evasion. We elaborate on the structures of some notable SLPs required for binding target molecules in hosts and how this information can be used alongside bioinformatics to understand mechanisms of binding and in the discovery of new SLPs. This information provides a foundation for the development of therapeutics and the design of vaccine antigens.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gregory B Cole
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Thomas J Bateman
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Trevor F Moraes
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Structural and Functional Analysis of BBA03, Borrelia burgdorferi Competitive Advantage Promoting Outer Surface Lipoprotein. Pathogens 2020; 9:pathogens9100826. [PMID: 33050189 PMCID: PMC7650648 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens9100826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2020] [Revised: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BBA03 is a Borrelia burgdorferi outer surface lipoprotein encoded on one of the most conserved plasmids in Borrelia genome, linear plasmid 54 (lp54). Although many of its genes have been identified as contributing or essential for spirochete fitness in vivo, the majority of the proteins encoded on this plasmid have no known function and lack homologs in other organisms. In this paper, we report the solution NMR structure of the B. burgdorferi outer surface lipoprotein BBA03, which is known to provide a competitive advantage to the bacteria during the transmission from tick vector to mammalian host. BBA03 shows structural homology to other outer surface lipoproteins reflecting their genetic and evolutionary relatedness. Analysis of the structure reveals a pore in BBA03, which could potentially bind lipids.
Collapse
|