1
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Raghunandanan S, Zhang K, Zhang Y, Sze CW, Priya R, Luo Y, Lynch MJ, Crane BR, Li C, Yang XF. MCP5, a methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein regulated by both the Hk1-Rrp1 and Rrp2-RpoN-RpoS pathways, is required for the immune evasion of Borrelia burgdorferi. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.10.598185. [PMID: 38915556 PMCID: PMC11195095 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.10.598185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/26/2024]
Abstract
Borrelia (or Borreliella) burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, is a motile and invasive zoonotic pathogen, adept at navigating between its arthropod vector and mammalian host. While motility and chemotaxis are well established as essential for its enzootic cycle, the function of methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins (MCPs) in the infectious cycle of B. burgdorferi remains unclear. In this study, we demonstrate that MCP5, one of the most abundant MCPs in B. burgdorferi, is differentially expressed in response to environmental signals as well as at different stages of the pathogen's enzootic cycle. Specifically, the expression of mcp5 is regulated by the Hk1-Rrp1 and Rrp2-RpoN-RpoS pathways, which are critical for the spirochete's colonization of the tick vector and mammalian host, respectively. Infection experiments with an mcp5 mutant revealed that spirochetes lacking MCP5 could not establish infections in either C3H/HeN mice or Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) mice, which are defective in adaptive immunity, indicating the essential role of MCP5 in mammalian infection. However, the mcp5 mutant could establish infection and disseminate in NOD SCID Gamma (NSG) mice, which are deficient in both adaptive and most innate immune responses, suggesting a crucial role of MCP5 in evading host innate immunity. In the tick vector, the mcp5 mutants survived feeding but failed to transmit to mice, highlighting the importance of MCP5 in transmission. Our findings reveal that MCP5, regulated by the Rrp1 and Rrp2 pathways, is critical for the establishment of infection in mammalian hosts by evading host innate immunity and is important for the transmission of spirochetes from ticks to mammalian hosts, underscoring its potential as a target for intervention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sajith Raghunandanan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202
| | - Kai Zhang
- Department of Oral Craniofacial Molecular Biology, School of Dentistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, 23298
| | - Yan Zhang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202
- Wenzhou Key Laboratory of Sanitary Microbiology, Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Ministry of Education, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China, 325035
| | - Ching Wooen Sze
- Department of Oral Craniofacial Molecular Biology, School of Dentistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, 23298
| | - Raj Priya
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202
| | - Yongliang Luo
- Wenzhou Key Laboratory of Sanitary Microbiology, Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Ministry of Education, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China, 325035
| | - Michael J Lynch
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Brian R Crane
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Chunhao Li
- Department of Oral Craniofacial Molecular Biology, School of Dentistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, 23298
| | - X. Frank Yang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202
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2
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Yamasaki Y, Singh P, Vimonish R, Ueti M, Bankhead T. Development and Application of an In Vitro Tick Feeding System to Identify Ixodes Tick Environment-Induced Genes of the Lyme Disease Agent, Borrelia burgdorferi. Pathogens 2024; 13:487. [PMID: 38921785 PMCID: PMC11207009 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens13060487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2024] [Revised: 06/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
The bacterial agent of Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, exists in an enzootic cycle by adapting to dissimilar mammalian and tick environments. The genetic elements necessary for host and vector adaptation are spread across a bacterial genome comprised of a linear chromosome and essential linear and circular plasmids. The promoter trap system, In Vivo Expression Technology (IVET), has been used to identify promoters of B. burgdorferi that are transcriptionally active specifically during infection of a murine host. However, an observed infection bottleneck effect in mice prevented the application of this system to study promoters induced in a tick environment. In this study, we adapted a membrane-based in vitro feeding system as a novel method to infect the Ixodes spp. vector with B. burgdorferi. Once adapted, we performed IVET screens as a proof of principle via an infected bloodmeal on the system. The screen yielded B. burgdorferi promoters that are induced during tick infection and verified relative expression levels using qRT-PCR. The results of our study demonstrate the potential of our developed in vitro tick feeding system and IVET systems to gain insight into the adaptive gene expression of the Lyme disease bacteria to the tick vector.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youki Yamasaki
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA; (Y.Y.); (P.S.); (R.V.)
| | - Preeti Singh
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA; (Y.Y.); (P.S.); (R.V.)
| | - Rubikah Vimonish
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA; (Y.Y.); (P.S.); (R.V.)
| | - Massaro Ueti
- Animal Disease Research Unit, United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), Pullman, WA 99164, USA;
| | - Troy Bankhead
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA; (Y.Y.); (P.S.); (R.V.)
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3
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Mandwal A, Bishop SL, Castellanos M, Westlund A, Chaconas G, Davidsen J, Lewis IA. MINNO: An Open Source Software for Refining Metabolic Networks and Investigating Complex Network Activity Using Empirical Metabolomics Data. Anal Chem 2024; 96:3382-3388. [PMID: 38359900 PMCID: PMC10902815 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c04501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
Metabolomics is a powerful tool for uncovering biochemical diversity in a wide range of organisms. Metabolic network modeling is commonly used to frame metabolomics data in the context of a broader biological system. However, network modeling of poorly characterized nonmodel organisms remains challenging due to gene homology mismatches which lead to network architecture errors. To address this, we developed the Metabolic Interactive Nodular Network for Omics (MINNO), a web-based mapping tool that uses empirical metabolomics data to refine metabolic networks. MINNO allows users to create, modify, and interact with metabolic pathway visualizations for thousands of organisms, in both individual and multispecies contexts. Herein, we illustrate the use of MINNO in elucidating the metabolic networks of understudied species, such as those of the Borrelia genus, which cause Lyme and relapsing fever diseases. Using a hybrid genomics-metabolomics modeling approach, we constructed species-specific metabolic networks for threeBorrelia species. Using these empirically refined networks, we were able to metabolically differentiate these species via their nucleotide metabolism, which cannot be predicted from genomic networks. Additionally, using MINNO, we identified 18 missing reactions from the KEGG database, of which nine were supported by the primary literature. These examples illustrate the use of metabolomics for the empirical refining of genetically constructed networks and show how MINNO can be used to study nonmodel organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayush Mandwal
- Department
of Physics and Astronomy, University of
Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary T2N 1N4, Alberta, Canada
| | - Stephanie L. Bishop
- Alberta
Centre for Advanced Diagnostics, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary T2N 1N4, Alberta, Canada
| | - Mildred Castellanos
- Department
of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cumming School of Medicine,
Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, University
of Calgary, 2500 University
Dr NW, Calgary T2N 1N4, Alberta, Canada
| | - Anika Westlund
- Alberta
Centre for Advanced Diagnostics, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary T2N 1N4, Alberta, Canada
| | - George Chaconas
- Department
of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cumming School of Medicine,
Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, University
of Calgary, 2500 University
Dr NW, Calgary T2N 1N4, Alberta, Canada
- Department
of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Cumming School
of Medicine, Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary T2N 1N4, Alberta, Canada
| | - Jörn Davidsen
- Department
of Physics and Astronomy, University of
Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary T2N 1N4, Alberta, Canada
- Hotchkiss
Brain Institute, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary T2N 1N4, Alberta, Canada
| | - Ian A. Lewis
- Alberta
Centre for Advanced Diagnostics, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary T2N 1N4, Alberta, Canada
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4
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Grąźlewska W, Sołowińska K, Holec-Gąsior L. In silico epitope prediction of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato antigens for the detection of specific antibodies. J Immunol Methods 2024; 524:113596. [PMID: 38070727 DOI: 10.1016/j.jim.2023.113596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
Despite many years of research, serodiagnosis of Lyme disease still faces many obstacles. Difficulties arise mainly due to the low degree of amino acid sequence conservation of the most immunogenic antigens among B. burgdorferi s.l. genospecies, as well as differences in protein production depending on the environment in which the spirochete is located. Mapping B-cell epitopes located on antigens allows for a better understanding of antibody-pathogen interactions which is essential for the development of new and more effective diagnostic tools. In this study, in silico B-cell epitope mapping was performed to determine the theoretical diagnostic potential of selected B. burgdorferi s.l. proteins (BB0108, BB0126, BB0298, BB0689, BB0323, FliL, PstS, SecD, EF-Tu). Bioinformatics software predicted 35 conserved linear and 31 conformational epitopes with the degree of identity among B. burgdorferi s.l. of at least 85%, which may prove to be useful in the development of a new tool for the diagnosis of Lyme disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weronika Grąźlewska
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Microbiology, Faculty of Chemistry, Gdańsk University of Technology, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Karolina Sołowińska
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Microbiology, Faculty of Chemistry, Gdańsk University of Technology, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Lucyna Holec-Gąsior
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Microbiology, Faculty of Chemistry, Gdańsk University of Technology, Gdańsk, Poland.
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5
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Rūmnieks J, Füzik T, Tārs K. Structure of the Borrelia Bacteriophage φBB1 Procapsid. J Mol Biol 2023; 435:168323. [PMID: 37866476 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2023.168323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Abstract
Bacteriophages of Borrelia burgdorferi are a biologically important but under-investigated feature of the Lyme disease-causing spirochete. No virulent borrelial viruses have been identified, but all B. burgdorferi isolates carry a prophage φBB1 as resident circular plasmids. Like its host, the φBB1 phage is quite distinctive and shares little sequence similarity with other known bacteriophages. We expressed φBB1 head morphogenesis proteins in Escherichia coli which resulted in assembly of homogeneous prolate procapsid structures and used cryo-electron microscopy to determine the three-dimensional structure of these particles. The φBB1 procapsids consist of 415 copies of the major capsid protein and an equal combined number of three homologous capsid decoration proteins that form trimeric knobs on the outside of the particle. One of the end vertices of the particle is occupied by a portal assembled from twelve copies of the portal protein. The φBB1 scaffolding protein is entirely α-helical and has an elongated shape with a small globular domain in the middle. Within the tubular section of the procapsid, the internal scaffold is built of stacked rings, each composed of 32 scaffolding protein molecules, which run in opposite directions from both caps with a heterogeneous part in the middle. Inside the portal-containing cap, the scaffold is organized asymmetrically with ten scaffolding protein molecules bound to the portal. The φBB1 procapsid structure provides better insight into the vast structural diversity of bacteriophages and presents clues of how elongated bacteriophage particles might be assembled.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jānis Rūmnieks
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Center, Rātsupītes 1, 1067 Riga, Latvia.
| | - Tibor Füzik
- Structural Virology, Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Kamenice 753/5, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Kaspars Tārs
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Center, Rātsupītes 1, 1067 Riga, Latvia; Faculty of Biology, University of Latvia, Jelgavas 1, 1004 Riga, Latvia
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6
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Grąźlewska W, Holec-Gąsior L, Sołowińska K, Chmielewski T, Fiecek B, Contreras M. Epitope Mapping of BmpA and BBK32 Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Stricto Antigens for the Design of Chimeric Proteins with Potential Diagnostic Value. ACS Infect Dis 2023; 9:2160-2172. [PMID: 37803965 PMCID: PMC10722512 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.3c00258] [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: 06/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023]
Abstract
Lyme disease is a tick-borne zoonosis caused by Gram-negative bacteria belonging to the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) group. In this study, IgM- and IgG-specific linear epitopes of two B. burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.s.) antigens BmpA and BBK32 were mapped using a polypeptide array. Subsequently, two chimeric proteins BmpA-BBK32-M and BmpA-BBK32-G were designed to validate the construction of chimeras using the identified epitopes for the detection of IgM and IgG, respectively, by ELISA. IgG-ELISA based on the BmpA-BBK32-G antigen showed 71% sensitivity and 95% specificity, whereas a slightly lower diagnostic utility was obtained for IgM-ELISA based on BmpA-BBK32-M, where the sensitivity was also 71% but the specificity decreased to 89%. The reactivity of chimeric proteins with nondedicated antibodies was much lower. These results suggest that the identified epitopes may be useful in the design of new forms of antigens to increase the effectiveness of Lyme disease serodiagnosis. It has also been proven that appropriate selection of epitopes enables the construction of chimeric proteins exhibiting reactivity with a specific antibody isotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weronika Grąźlewska
- Department
of Molecular Biotechnology and Microbiology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk Technology, 80-233 Gdańsk, Poland
- SaBio,
Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC−CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Lucyna Holec-Gąsior
- Department
of Molecular Biotechnology and Microbiology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk Technology, 80-233 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Karolina Sołowińska
- Department
of Molecular Biotechnology and Microbiology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk Technology, 80-233 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Tomasz Chmielewski
- Department
of Parasitology and Diseases Transmitted by Vectors, National Institute of Public Health NIH - National Research Institute, 00-791 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Beata Fiecek
- Department
of Parasitology and Diseases Transmitted by Vectors, National Institute of Public Health NIH - National Research Institute, 00-791 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Marinela Contreras
- SaBio,
Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC−CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain
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7
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Sze CW, Zhang K, Lynch MJ, Iyer R, Crane BR, Schwartz I, Li C. A chemosensory-like histidine kinase is dispensable for chemotaxis in vitro but regulates the virulence of Borrelia burgdorferi through modulating the stability of RpoS. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011752. [PMID: 38011206 PMCID: PMC10703414 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
As an enzootic pathogen, the Lyme disease bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi possesses multiple copies of chemotaxis proteins, including two chemotaxis histidine kinases (CHK), CheA1 and CheA2. Our previous study showed that CheA2 is a genuine CHK that is required for chemotaxis; however, the role of CheA1 remains mysterious. This report first compares the structural features that differentiate CheA1 and CheA2 and then provides evidence to show that CheA1 is an atypical CHK that controls the virulence of B. burgdorferi through modulating the stability of RpoS, a key transcriptional regulator of the spirochete. First, microscopic analyses using green-fluorescence-protein (GFP) tags reveal that CheA1 has a unique and dynamic cellular localization. Second, loss-of-function studies indicate that CheA1 is not required for chemotaxis in vitro despite sharing a high sequence and structural similarity to its counterparts from other bacteria. Third, mouse infection studies using needle inoculations show that a deletion mutant of CheA1 (cheA1mut) is able to establish systemic infection in immune-deficient mice but fails to do so in immune-competent mice albeit the mutant can survive at the inoculation site for up to 28 days. Tick and mouse infection studies further demonstrate that CheA1 is dispensable for tick colonization and acquisition but essential for tick transmission. Lastly, mechanistic studies combining immunoblotting, protein turnover, mutagenesis, and RNA-seq analyses reveal that depletion of CheA1 affects RpoS stability, leading to reduced expression of several RpoS-regulated virulence factors (i.e., OspC, BBK32, and DbpA), likely due to dysregulated clpX and lon protease expression. Bulk RNA-seq analysis of infected mouse skin tissues further show that cheA1mut fails to elicit mouse tnf-α, il-10, il-1β, and ccl2 expression, four important cytokines for Lyme disease development and B. burgdorferi transmigration. Collectively, these results reveal a unique role and regulatory mechanism of CheA1 in modulating virulence factor expression and add new insights into understanding the regulatory network of B. burgdorferi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ching Wooen Sze
- Department of Oral Craniofacial Molecular Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Kai Zhang
- Department of Oral Craniofacial Molecular Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Michael J. Lynch
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Radha Iyer
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, United States of America
| | - Brian R. Crane
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Ira Schwartz
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, United States of America
| | - Chunhao Li
- Department of Oral Craniofacial Molecular Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, United States of America
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, United States of America
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8
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Grąźlewska W, Holec-Gąsior L. Antibody Cross-Reactivity in Serodiagnosis of Lyme Disease. Antibodies (Basel) 2023; 12:63. [PMID: 37873860 PMCID: PMC10594444 DOI: 10.3390/antib12040063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Lyme disease is a tick-borne disease caused by spirochetes belonging to the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex. The disease is characterized by a varied course; therefore, the basis for diagnosis is laboratory methods. Currently, a two-tiered serological test is recommended, using an ELISA as a screening test and a Western blot as a confirmatory test. This approach was introduced due to the relatively high number of false-positive results obtained when using an ELISA alone. However, even this approach has not entirely solved the problem of false-positive results caused by cross-reactive antibodies. Many highly immunogenic B. burgdorferi s.l. proteins are recognized nonspecifically by antibodies directed against other pathogens. This also applies to antigens, such as OspC, BmpA, VlsE, and FlaB, i.e., those commonly used in serodiagnostic assays. Cross-reactions can be caused by both bacterial (relapsing fever Borrelia, Treponema pallidum) and viral (Epstein-Baar virus, Cytomegalovirus) infections. Additionally, a rheumatoid factor has also been shown to nonspecifically recognize B. burgdorferi s.l. proteins, resulting in false-positive results. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully interpret the results of serodiagnostic tests so as to avoid overdiagnosis of Lyme disease, which causes unnecessary implementations of strong antibiotic therapies and delays in the correct diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lucyna Holec-Gąsior
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Microbiology, Faculty of Chemistry, Gdansk University of Technology, 80-233 Gdansk, Poland;
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9
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Kneubehl AR, Lopez JE. Comparative genomics analysis of three conserved plasmid families in the Western Hemisphere soft tick-borne relapsing fever borreliae provides insight into variation in genome structure and antigenic variation systems. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0089523. [PMID: 37737593 PMCID: PMC10580987 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00895-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Borrelia spirochetes, causative agents of Lyme disease and relapsing fever (RF), have uniquely complex genomes, consisting of a linear chromosome and both circular and linear plasmids. The plasmids harbor genes important for the vector-host life cycle of these tick-borne bacteria. The role of plasmids from Lyme disease causing spirochetes is more refined compared to RF Borrelia because of limited plasmid-resolved genome assemblies for the latter. We recently addressed this limitation and found that three linear plasmid families (F6, F27, and F28) were syntenic across all the RF Borrelia species that we examined. Given this conservation, we further investigated the three plasmid families. The F6 family, also known as the megaplasmid, contained regions of repetitive DNA. The F27 was the smallest, encoding genes with unknown function. The F28 family encoded the putative expression locus for antigenic variation in all species except Borrelia hermsii and Borrelia anserina. Taken together, this work provides a foundation for future investigations to identify essential plasmid-localized genes that drive the vector-host life cycle of RF Borrelia. IMPORTANCE Borrelia spp. spirochetes are arthropod-borne bacteria found globally that infect humans and other vertebrates. RF borreliae are understudied and misdiagnosed pathogens because of the vague clinical presentation of disease and the elusive feeding behavior of argasid ticks. Consequently, genomics resources for RF spirochetes have been limited. Analyses of Borrelia plasmids have been challenging because they are often highly fragmented and unassembled in most available genome assemblies. By utilizing Oxford Nanopore Technologies, we recently generated plasmid-resolved genome assemblies for seven Borrelia spp. found in the Western Hemisphere. This current study is an in-depth investigation into the linear plasmids that were conserved and syntenic across species. We identified differences in genome structure and, importantly, in antigenic variation systems between species. This work is an important step in identifying crucial plasmid-localized genetic elements essential for the life cycle of RF spirochetes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Job E. Lopez
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
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10
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Lemieux JE, Huang W, Hill N, Cerar T, Freimark L, Hernandez S, Luban M, Maraspin V, Bogovič P, Ogrinc K, Ruzič-Sabljič E, Lapierre P, Lasek-Nesselquist E, Singh N, Iyer R, Liveris D, Reed KD, Leong JM, Branda JA, Steere AC, Wormser GP, Strle F, Sabeti PC, Schwartz I, Strle K. Whole genome sequencing of human Borrelia burgdorferi isolates reveals linked blocks of accessory genome elements located on plasmids and associated with human dissemination. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011243. [PMID: 37651316 PMCID: PMC10470944 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in North America and Europe. The clinical manifestations of Lyme disease vary based on the genospecies of the infecting Borrelia burgdorferi spirochete, but the microbial genetic elements underlying these associations are not known. Here, we report the whole genome sequence (WGS) and analysis of 299 B. burgdorferi (Bb) isolates derived from patients in the Eastern and Midwestern US and Central Europe. We develop a WGS-based classification of Bb isolates, confirm and extend the findings of previous single- and multi-locus typing systems, define the plasmid profiles of human-infectious Bb isolates, annotate the core and strain-variable surface lipoproteome, and identify loci associated with disseminated infection. A core genome consisting of ~900 open reading frames and a core set of plasmids consisting of lp17, lp25, lp36, lp28-3, lp28-4, lp54, and cp26 are found in nearly all isolates. Strain-variable (accessory) plasmids and genes correlate strongly with phylogeny. Using genetic association study methods, we identify an accessory genome signature associated with dissemination in humans and define the individual plasmids and genes that make up this signature. Strains within the RST1/WGS A subgroup, particularly a subset marked by the OspC type A genotype, have increased rates of dissemination in humans. OspC type A strains possess a unique set of strongly linked genetic elements including the presence of lp56 and lp28-1 plasmids and a cluster of genes that may contribute to their enhanced virulence compared to other genotypes. These features of OspC type A strains reflect a broader paradigm across Bb isolates, in which near-clonal genotypes are defined by strain-specific clusters of linked genetic elements, particularly those encoding surface-exposed lipoproteins. These clusters of genes are maintained by strain-specific patterns of plasmid occupancy and are associated with the probability of invasive infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob E. Lemieux
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Weihua Huang
- New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, United States of America
- East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Nathan Hill
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Tjasa Cerar
- University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Lisa Freimark
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Sergio Hernandez
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, United States of America
| | - Matteo Luban
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Vera Maraspin
- University Medical Center Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Petra Bogovič
- University Medical Center Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | | | | | - Pascal Lapierre
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, United States of America
| | - Erica Lasek-Nesselquist
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, United States of America
| | - Navjot Singh
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, United States of America
| | - Radha Iyer
- New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, United States of America
| | - Dionysios Liveris
- New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, United States of America
| | - Kurt D. Reed
- University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - John M. Leong
- Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - John A. Branda
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Allen C. Steere
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Gary P. Wormser
- New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, United States of America
| | - Franc Strle
- University Medical Center Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Pardis C. Sabeti
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Harvard T.H.Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Ira Schwartz
- New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, United States of America
| | - Klemen Strle
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, United States of America
- Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
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11
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Mandwal A, Bishop SL, Castellanos M, Westlund A, Chaconas G, Lewis I, Davidsen J. Metabolic Interactive Nodular Network for Omics (MINNO): Refining and investigating metabolic networks based on empirical metabolomics data. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.07.14.548964. [PMID: 37503268 PMCID: PMC10370097 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.14.548964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Metabolomics is a powerful tool for uncovering biochemical diversity in a wide range of organisms, and metabolic network modeling is commonly used to frame results in the context of a broader homeostatic system. However, network modeling of poorly characterized, non-model organisms remains challenging due to gene homology mismatches. To address this challenge, we developed Metabolic Interactive Nodular Network for Omics (MINNO), a web-based mapping tool that takes in empirical metabolomics data to refine metabolic networks for both model and unusual organisms. MINNO allows users to create and modify interactive metabolic pathway visualizations for thousands of organisms, in both individual and multi-species contexts. Herein, we demonstrate an important application of MINNO in elucidating the metabolic networks of understudied species, such as those of the Borrelia genus, which cause Lyme disease and relapsing fever. Using a hybrid genomics-metabolomics modeling approach, we constructed species-specific metabolic networks for three Borrelia species. Using these empirically refined networks, we were able to metabolically differentiate these genetically similar species via their nucleotide and nicotinate metabolic pathways that cannot be predicted from genomic networks. These examples illustrate the use of metabolomics for the empirical refining of genetically constructed networks and show how MINNO can be used to study non-model organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayush Mandwal
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Stephanie L. Bishop
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Mildred Castellanos
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cumming School of Medicine, Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Anika Westlund
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - George Chaconas
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cumming School of Medicine, Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Ian Lewis
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Jörn Davidsen
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
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12
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Kasumba IN, Tilly K, Lin T, Norris SJ, Rosa PA. Strict Conservation yet Non-Essential Nature of Plasmid Gene bba40 in the Lyme Disease Spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0047723. [PMID: 37010416 PMCID: PMC10269632 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00477-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The highly segmented genome of Borrelia burgdorferi, the tick-borne bacterium that causes Lyme disease, is composed of a linear chromosome and more than 20 co-existing endogenous plasmids. Many plasmid-borne genes are unique to B. burgdorferi and some have been shown to provide essential functions at discrete points of the infectious cycle between a tick vector and rodent host. In this study, we investigated the role of bba40, a highly conserved and differentially expressed gene on a ubiquitous linear plasmid of B. burgdorferi. In a prior genome-wide analysis, inactivation of bba40 by transposon insertion was linked with a noninfectious phenotype in mice, suggesting that conservation of the gene in the Lyme disease spirochete reflected a critical function of the encoded protein. To address this hypothesis, we moved the bba40::Tn allele into a similar wild-type background and compared the phenotypes of isogenic wild-type, mutant and complemented strains in vitro and throughout the in vivo mouse/tick infectious cycle. In contrast to the previous study, we identified no defect in the ability of the bba40 mutant to colonize the tick vector or murine host, or to be efficiently transmitted between them. We conclude that bba40 joins a growing list of unique, highly conserved, yet fully dispensable plasmid-borne genes of the Lyme disease spirochete. We infer that the experimental infectious cycle, while including the tick vector and murine host, lacks key selective forces imposed during the natural enzootic cycle. IMPORTANCE The key finding of this study contradicts our premise that the ubiquitous presence and strict sequence conservation of a unique gene in the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, reflect a critical role in either the murine host or tick vector in which these bacteria are maintained in nature. Instead, the outcome of this investigation illustrates the inadequate nature of the experimental infectious cycle currently employed in the laboratory to fully model the enzootic cycle of the Lyme disease spirochete. This study also highlights the importance of complementation for accurate interpretation of mutant phenotypes in genetic studies of Borrelia burgdorferi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene N. Kasumba
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - Kit Tilly
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - Tao Lin
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Steven J. Norris
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Patricia A. Rosa
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, USA
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13
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Mukherjee PG, Liveris D, Hanincova K, Iyer R, Wormser GP, Huang W, Schwartz I. Borrelia burgdorferi Outer Surface Protein C Is Not the Sole Determinant of Dissemination in Mammals. Infect Immun 2023; 91:e0045622. [PMID: 36880751 PMCID: PMC10112133 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00456-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Lyme disease in the United States is most often caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto. After a tick bite, the patient may develop erythema migrans at that site. If hematogenous dissemination occurs, the patient may then develop neurologic manifestations, carditis, or arthritis. Host-pathogen interactions include factors that contribute to hematogenous dissemination to other body sites. Outer surface protein C (OspC), a surface-exposed lipoprotein of B. burgdorferi, is essential during the early stages of mammalian infection. There is a high degree of genetic variation at the ospC locus, and certain ospC types are more frequently associated with hematogenous dissemination in patients, suggesting that OspC may be a major contributing factor to the clinical outcome of B. burgdorferi infection. In order to evaluate the role of OspC in B. burgdorferi dissemination, ospC was exchanged between B. burgdorferi isolates with different capacities to disseminate in laboratory mice, and these strains were then tested for their ability to disseminate in mice. The results indicated that the ability of B. burgdorferi to disseminate in mammalian hosts does not depend on OspC alone. The complete genome sequences of two closely related strains of B. burgdorferi with differing dissemination phenotypes were determined, but a specific genetic locus that could explain the differences in the phenotypes could not be definitively identified. The animal studies performed clearly demonstrated that OspC is not the sole determinant of dissemination. Future studies of the type described here with additional borrelial strains will hopefully clarify the genetic elements associated with hematogenous dissemination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priyanka G. Mukherjee
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, USA
| | - Dionysios Liveris
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, USA
| | - Klára Hanincova
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, USA
| | - Radha Iyer
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, USA
| | - Gary P. Wormser
- Department of Medicine, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, USA
| | - Weihua Huang
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, USA
| | - Ira Schwartz
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, USA
- Department of Medicine, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, USA
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14
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Stevenson B, Brissette CA. Erp and Rev Adhesins of the Lyme Disease Spirochete's Ubiquitous cp32 Prophages Assist the Bacterium during Vertebrate Infection. Infect Immun 2023; 91:e0025022. [PMID: 36853019 PMCID: PMC10016077 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00250-22] [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] [Indexed: 03/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Almost all spirochetes in the genus Borrelia (sensu lato) naturally contain multiple variants of closely related prophages. In the Lyme disease borreliae, these prophages are maintained as circular episomes that are called circular plasmid 32 kb (cp32s). The cp32s of Lyme agents are particularly unique in that they encode two distinct families of lipoproteins, namely, Erp and Rev, that are expressed on the bacterial outer surface during infection of vertebrate hosts. All identified functions of those outer surface proteins involve interactions between the spirochetes and host molecules, as follows: Erp proteins bind plasmin(ogen), laminin, glycosaminoglycans, and/or components of complement and Rev proteins bind fibronectin. Thus, cp32 prophages provide their bacterial hosts with surface proteins that can enhance infection processes, thereby facilitating their own survival. Horizontal transfer via bacteriophage particles increases the spread of beneficial alleles and creates diversity among Erp and Rev proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Stevenson
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
| | - Catherine A. Brissette
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA
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15
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Casselli T, Tourand Y, Gura K, Stevenson B, Zückert WR, Brissette CA. Endogenous Linear Plasmids lp28-4 and lp25 Are Required for Infectivity and Restriction Protection in the Lyme Disease Spirochete Borrelia mayonii. Infect Immun 2023; 91:e0006123. [PMID: 36853005 PMCID: PMC10016076 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00061-23] [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: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Borrelia mayonii is a newly recognized causative agent of Lyme disease in the Upper Midwestern United States, with distinct clinical presentations compared to classical Lyme disease caused by other Lyme Borrelia species. However, little is known about the B. mayonii genetic determinants required for establishing infection or perpetuating disease in mammals. Extrachromosomal plasmids in Borrelia species often encode proteins necessary for infection and pathogenesis, and spontaneous loss of these plasmids can lead to the identification of virulence determinant genes. Here, we describe infection of Lyme disease-susceptible C3H mice with B. mayonii, and show bacterial dissemination and persistence in peripheral tissues. Loss of endogenous plasmids, including lp28-4, lp25, and lp36 correlated with reduced infectivity in mice. The apparent requirement for lp28-4 during murine infection suggests the presence of a novel virulence determinant, as this plasmid does not encode homologs of any known virulence determinant. We also describe transformation and stable maintenance of a self-replicating shuttle vector in B. mayonii, and show that loss of either lp25 or lp28-4 correlated with increased transformation competency. Finally, we demonstrate that linear plasmids lp25 and lp28-4 each encode functional restriction modification systems with distinct but partially overlapping target modification sequences, which likely accounts for the observed decrease in transformation efficiency when those plasmids are present. Taken together, this study describes a role for endogenous plasmids in mammalian infection and restriction protection in the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia mayonii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy Casselli
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA
| | - Yvonne Tourand
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA
| | - Kaitlyn Gura
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA
| | - Brian Stevenson
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
| | - Wolfram R. Zückert
- Department of Microbiology, Molecular Genetics, and Immunology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas, USA
| | - Catherine A. Brissette
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA
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16
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Kneubehl AR, Lopez JE. Comparative genomics analysis of three conserved plasmid families in the Western Hemisphere soft tick-borne relapsing fever borreliae provides insight into variation in genome structure and antigenic variation systems. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.06.531354. [PMID: 36945547 PMCID: PMC10028826 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.06.531354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2023]
Abstract
Borrelia spirochetes, causative agents of Lyme disease and relapsing fever (RF), have a uniquely complex genome consisting of a linear chromosome and circular and linear plasmids. The plasmids harbor genes important for the vector-host life cycle of these tick-borne bacteria. The role of Lyme disease causing Borrelia plasmids is more refined compared to RF spirochetes because of limited plasmid-resolved genomes for RF spirochetes. We recently addressed this limitation and found that three linear plasmid families (F6, F27, and F28) were syntenic across all species. Given this conservation, we further investigated the three plasmid families. The F6 family, also known as the megaplasmid, contained regions of repetitive DNA. The F27 was the smallest, encoding genes with unknown function. The F28 family encoded the expression locus for antigenic variation in all species except Borrelia hermsii and Borrelia anserina. Taken together, this work provides a foundation for future investigations to identify essential plasmid-localized genes that drive the vector-host life cycle of RF Borrelia . IMPORTANCE Borrelia spp. spirochetes are arthropod-borne bacteria found globally and infect humans and other vertebrates. RF borreliae are understudied and misdiagnosed pathogens because of the vague clinical presentation of disease and the elusive feeding behavior of argasid ticks. Consequently, genomics resources for RF spirochetes have been limited. Analyses of Borrelia plasmids have been challenging because they are often highly fragmented and unassembled. By utilizing Oxford Nanopore Technologies, we recently generated plasmid-resolved genomes for seven Borrelia spp. found in the Western Hemisphere. This current study is a more in-depth investigation into the linear plasmids that were conserved and syntenic across species. This analysis determined differences in genome structure and, importantly, in antigenic variation systems between species. This work is an important step in identifying crucial plasmid-borne genetic elements essential for the life cycle of RF spirochetes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Job E. Lopez
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
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17
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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: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [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.
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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
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18
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Lemieux JE, Huang W, Hill N, Cerar T, Freimark L, Hernandez S, Luban M, Maraspin V, Bogovic P, Ogrinc K, Ruzic-Sabljic E, Lapierre P, Lasek-Nesselquist E, Singh N, Iyer R, Liveris D, Reed KD, Leong JM, Branda JA, Steere AC, Wormser GP, Strle F, Sabeti PC, Schwartz I, Strle K. Whole genome sequencing of Borrelia burgdorferi isolates reveals linked clusters of plasmid-borne accessory genome elements associated with virulence. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.26.530159. [PMID: 36909473 PMCID: PMC10002713 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.26.530159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/03/2023]
Abstract
Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in North America and Europe. The clinical manifestations of Lyme disease vary based on the genospecies of the infecting Borrelia burgdorferi spirochete, but the microbial genetic elements underlying these associations are not known. Here, we report the whole genome sequence (WGS) and analysis of 299 patient-derived B. burgdorferi sensu stricto ( Bbss ) isolates from patients in the Eastern and Midwestern US and Central Europe. We develop a WGS-based classification of Bbss isolates, confirm and extend the findings of previous single- and multi-locus typing systems, define the plasmid profiles of human-infectious Bbss isolates, annotate the core and strain-variable surface lipoproteome, and identify loci associated with disseminated infection. A core genome consisting of ∼800 open reading frames and a core set of plasmids consisting of lp17, lp25, lp36, lp28-3, lp28-4, lp54, and cp26 are found in nearly all isolates. Strain-variable (accessory) plasmids and genes correlate strongly with phylogeny. Using genetic association study methods, we identify an accessory genome signature associated with dissemination and define the individual plasmids and genes that make up this signature. Strains within the RST1/WGS A subgroup, particularly a subset marked by the OspC type A genotype, are associated with increased rates of dissemination. OspC type A strains possess a unique constellation of strongly linked genetic changes including the presence of lp56 and lp28-1 plasmids and a cluster of genes that may contribute to their enhanced virulence compared to other genotypes. The patterns of OspC type A strains typify a broader paradigm across Bbss isolates, in which genetic structure is defined by correlated groups of strain-variable genes located predominantly on plasmids, particularly for expression of surface-exposed lipoproteins. These clusters of genes are inherited in blocks through strain-specific patterns of plasmid occupancy and are associated with the probability of invasive infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob E Lemieux
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
| | - Weihua Huang
- New York Medical College
- East Carolina University
| | - Nathan Hill
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
| | | | | | | | - Matteo Luban
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - John M Leong
- Tufts University, Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology
| | - John A Branda
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School
| | | | | | | | - Pardis C Sabeti
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
- Harvard University
- Harvard T.H.Chan School of Public Health
| | | | - Klemen Strle
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School
- Wadsworth Center
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19
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Inducible CRISPRi-Based Operon Silencing and Selective in Trans Gene Complementation in Borrelia burgdorferi. J Bacteriol 2023; 205:e0046822. [PMID: 36719218 PMCID: PMC9945571 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00468-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
To accelerate genetic studies on the Lyme disease pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi, we developed an enhanced CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) approach for isopropyl-β-d-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG)-inducible repression of specific B. burgdorferi genes. The entire system is encoded on a compact 11-kb shuttle vector plasmid that allows for inducible expression of both the sgRNA module and a nontoxic codon-optimized dCas9 protein. We validated this CRISPRi system by targeting the genes encoding OspA and OspB, abundant surface lipoproteins coexpressed by a single operon, and FlaB, the major subunit forming the periplasmic flagella. As in other systems, single guide RNAs (sgRNAs) complementary to the nontemplate strand were consistently effective in gene repression, with 4- to 994-fold reductions in targeted transcript levels and concomitant reductions of protein levels. Furthermore, we showed that ospAB knockdowns could be selectively complemented in trans for OspA expression via the insertion of CRISPRi-resistant, synonymously or nonsynonymously mutated protospacer adjacent motif (PAM*) ospA alleles into a unique site within the CRISPRi plasmid. Together, this establishes CRISPRi PAM* as a robust new genetic tool to simplify the study of B. burgdorferi genes, bypassing the need for gene disruptions by allelic exchange and avoiding rare codon toxicity from the heterologous expression of dCas9. IMPORTANCE Borrelia burgdorferi, the spirochetal bacterium causing Lyme disease, is a tick-borne pathogen of global importance. Here, we expand the genetic toolbox for studying B. burgdorferi physiology and pathogenesis by establishing a single plasmid-based, fully inducible, and nontoxic CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) system for transcriptional silencing of B. burgdorferi genes and operons. We also show that alleles of CRISPRi-targeted genes with mutated protospacer-adjacent motif (PAM*) sites are CRISPRi resistant and can be used for simultaneous in trans gene complementation. The CRISPRi PAM* system will streamline the study of essential Borrelia proteins and accelerate investigations into their structure-function relationships.
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20
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Hamik J, Bourret TJ, Smith H, Herman M, Birn R, Dawdy T, Zuffante MJ, Donahue MA. Detection of Borrelia burgdorferi infected Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) associated with local Lyme disease transmission in Nebraska, USA, 2021. Zoonoses Public Health 2023; 70:361-364. [PMID: 36785942 DOI: 10.1111/zph.13031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023]
Abstract
In August 2021, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services was notified by a local public health department of a cluster of two Lyme disease cases in patients with local exposure to wooded areas in a county located in their jurisdiction. Epidemiological investigations revealed that the two patients had similar symptom onset dates and had likely exposure to ticks at wooded sites located directly adjacent to one another. Two environmental investigations were completed in October 2021 and consisted of tick surveys at the patients' reported sites of tick exposure. 12 ticks were collected across the two surveys and identified the black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis). During subsequent testing of the collected ticks, spirochete bacteria were isolated, cultured and confirmed as Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto by PCR. In total, 7 of 12 (58.3%) I. scapularis ticks tested positive for B. burgdorferi s.s. The results of this study document the fourth known established population of I. scapularis in Nebraska and confirms the first detection of B. burgdorferi s.s. in field collected ticks from Nebraska. The epidemiological and environmental investigation data provide the first evidence for local Lyme disease transmission occurring within Nebraska. These findings highlight the need for continued surveillance of I. scapularis and its associated pathogens in Nebraska to further characterize human risk and monitor emergence into other areas of the state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeff Hamik
- Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.,University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
| | | | - Halie Smith
- Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
| | - Molly Herman
- Northeast Nebraska Public Health Department, Wayne, Nebraska, USA
| | - Rachael Birn
- Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
| | - Tammy Dawdy
- Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
| | - Mona J Zuffante
- Winnebago Public Health Department, Winnebago, Nebraska, USA
| | - Matthew A Donahue
- Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
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21
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Wachter J, Cheff B, Hillman C, Carracoi V, Dorward DW, Martens C, Barbian K, Nardone G, Renee Olano L, Kinnersley M, Secor PR, Rosa PA. Coupled induction of prophage and virulence factors during tick transmission of the Lyme disease spirochete. Nat Commun 2023; 14:198. [PMID: 36639656 PMCID: PMC9839762 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-35897-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The alternative sigma factor RpoS plays a central role in the critical host-adaptive response of the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi. We previously identified bbd18 as a negative regulator of RpoS but could not inactivate bbd18 in wild-type spirochetes. In the current study we employed an inducible bbd18 gene to demonstrate the essential nature of BBD18 for viability of wild-type spirochetes in vitro and at a unique point in vivo. Transcriptomic analyses of BBD18-depleted cells demonstrated global induction of RpoS-dependent genes prior to lysis, with the absolute requirement for BBD18, both in vitro and in vivo, circumvented by deletion of rpoS. The increased expression of plasmid prophage genes and the presence of phage particles in the supernatants of lysing cultures indicate that RpoS regulates phage lysis-lysogeny decisions. Through this work we identify a mechanistic link between endogenous prophages and the RpoS-dependent adaptive response of the Lyme disease spirochete.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny Wachter
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, USA. .,Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
| | - Britney Cheff
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, USA
| | - Chad Hillman
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, USA
| | - Valentina Carracoi
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, USA
| | - David W Dorward
- Electron Microscopy Unit, Research Technologies Branch, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, USA
| | - Craig Martens
- Genomics Unit, Research Technologies Branch, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, USA
| | - Kent Barbian
- Genomics Unit, Research Technologies Branch, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, USA
| | - Glenn Nardone
- Protein Chemistry Section, Research Technologies Branch, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - L Renee Olano
- Protein Chemistry Section, Research Technologies Branch, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Margie Kinnersley
- Division of Biological Sciences, The University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
| | - Patrick R Secor
- Division of Biological Sciences, The University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
| | - Patricia A Rosa
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, USA
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22
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Phelan JP, Bourgeois JS, McCarthy JE, Hu LT. A putative xanthine dehydrogenase is critical for Borrelia burgdorferi survival in ticks and mice. MICROBIOLOGY (READING, ENGLAND) 2023; 169:001286. [PMID: 36748545 PMCID: PMC9993122 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Borrelia burgdorferi is a pathogenic bacterium and the causative agent of Lyme disease. It is exposed to reactive oxygen species (ROS) in both the vertebrate and tick hosts. While some mechanisms by which B. burgdorferi ameliorates the effects of ROS exposure have been studied, there are likely other unknown mechanisms of ROS neutralization that contribute to virulence. Here, we follow up on a three gene cluster of unknown function, bb_0554, bb_0555, and bb_0556, that our prior unbiased transposon insertional sequencing studies implicated in both ROS survival and survival in Ixodes scapularis. We confirmed these findings through genetic knockout and provide evidence that these genes are co-transcribed as an operon to produce a xanthine dehydrogenase. In agreement with these results, we found that B. burgdorferi exposure to either uric acid (a product of xanthine dehydrogenase) or allopurinol (an inhibitor of xanthine dehydrogenase) could modulate sensitivity to ROS in a bb_0554-bb_0556 dependent manner. Together, this study identifies a previously uncharacterized three gene operon in B. burgdorferi as encoding a putative xanthine dehydrogenase critical for virulence. We propose renaming this locus xdhACB.
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Affiliation(s)
- James P Phelan
- Tufts University, Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Tufts University, Tufts Lyme Disease Initiative, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jeffrey S Bourgeois
- Tufts University, Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Tufts University, Tufts Lyme Disease Initiative, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Julie E McCarthy
- Tufts University, Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Tufts University, Tufts Lyme Disease Initiative, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Linden T Hu
- Tufts University, Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Tufts University, Tufts Lyme Disease Initiative, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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23
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Takacs CN, Nakajima Y, Haber JE, Jacobs-Wagner C. Cas9-mediated endogenous plasmid loss in Borrelia burgdorferi. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0278151. [PMID: 36441794 PMCID: PMC9704580 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0278151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, which causes Lyme disease, has the most segmented genome among known bacteria. In addition to a linear chromosome, the B. burgdorferi genome contains over 20 linear and circular endogenous plasmids. While many of these plasmids are dispensable under in vitro culture conditions, they are maintained during the natural life cycle of the pathogen. Plasmid-encoded functions are required for colonization of the tick vector, transmission to the vertebrate host, and evasion of host immune defenses. Different Borrelia strains can vary substantially in the type of plasmids they carry. The gene composition within the same type of plasmid can also differ from strain to strain, impeding the inference of plasmid function from one strain to another. To facilitate the investigation of the role of specific B. burgdorferi plasmids, we developed a Cas9-based approach that targets a plasmid for removal. As a proof-of-principle, we showed that targeting wild-type Cas9 to several loci on the endogenous plasmids lp25 or lp28-1 of the B. burgdorferi type strain B31 results in sgRNA-specific plasmid loss even when homologous sequences (i.e., potential sequence donors for DNA recombination) are present nearby. Cas9 nickase versions, Cas9D10A or Cas9H840A, also cause plasmid loss, though not as robustly. Thus, sgRNA-directed Cas9 DNA cleavage provides a highly efficient way to eliminate B. burgdorferi endogenous plasmids that are non-essential in axenic culture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Constantin N. Takacs
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, United States of America
- Sarafan ChEM-H Institute, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, United States of America
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, United States of America
| | - Yuko Nakajima
- Department of Biology and Rosenstiel Basic Medical Sciences Research Center, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - James E. Haber
- Department of Biology and Rosenstiel Basic Medical Sciences Research Center, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Christine Jacobs-Wagner
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, United States of America
- Sarafan ChEM-H Institute, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, United States of America
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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24
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Socarras KM, Haslund-Gourley BS, Cramer NA, Comunale MA, Marconi RT, Ehrlich GD. Large-Scale Sequencing of Borreliaceae for the Construction of Pan-Genomic-Based Diagnostics. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:1604. [PMID: 36140772 PMCID: PMC9498496 DOI: 10.3390/genes13091604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Revised: 09/03/2022] [Accepted: 09/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The acceleration of climate change has been associated with an alarming increase in the prevalence and geographic range of tick-borne diseases (TBD), many of which have severe and long-lasting effects-particularly when treatment is delayed principally due to inadequate diagnostics and lack of physician suspicion. Moreover, there is a paucity of treatment options for many TBDs that are complicated by diagnostic limitations for correctly identifying the offending pathogens. This review will focus on the biology, disease pathology, and detection methodologies used for the Borreliaceae family which includes the Lyme disease agent Borreliella burgdorferi. Previous work revealed that Borreliaceae genomes differ from most bacteria in that they are composed of large numbers of replicons, both linear and circular, with the main chromosome being the linear with telomeric-like termini. While these findings are novel, additional gene-specific analyses of each class of these multiple replicons are needed to better understand their respective roles in metabolism and pathogenesis of these enigmatic spirochetes. Historically, such studies were challenging due to a dearth of both analytic tools and a sufficient number of high-fidelity genomes among the various taxa within this family as a whole to provide for discriminative and functional genomic studies. Recent advances in long-read whole-genome sequencing, comparative genomics, and machine-learning have provided the tools to better understand the fundamental biology and phylogeny of these genomically-complex pathogens while also providing the data for the development of improved diagnostics and therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kayla M. Socarras
- Center for Advanced Microbial Processing, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA
- Center for Genomic Sciences, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA
| | - Benjamin S. Haslund-Gourley
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA
| | - Nicholas A. Cramer
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, 1112 East Clay Street, Room 101 Health Sciences Research Building, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
- Department of Oral and Craniofacial Molecular Biology, Philips Institute for Oral Health Research, School of Dentistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Mary Ann Comunale
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA
| | - Richard T. Marconi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, 1112 East Clay Street, Room 101 Health Sciences Research Building, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
- Department of Oral and Craniofacial Molecular Biology, Philips Institute for Oral Health Research, School of Dentistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Garth D. Ehrlich
- Center for Advanced Microbial Processing, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA
- Center for Genomic Sciences, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, 1112 East Clay Street, Room 101 Health Sciences Research Building, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
- Center for Surgical Infections and Biofilms, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA
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25
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Combs M, Marcinkiewicz AL, Dupuis AP, Davis AD, Lederman P, Nowak TA, Stout JL, Strle K, Fingerle V, Margos G, Ciota AT, Diuk-Wasser MA, Kolokotronis SO, Lin YP. Phylogenomic Diversity Elucidates Mechanistic Insights into Lyme Borreliae-Host Association. mSystems 2022; 7:e0048822. [PMID: 35938719 PMCID: PMC9426539 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00488-22] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Host association-the selective adaptation of pathogens to specific host species-evolves through constant interactions between host and pathogens, leaving a lot yet to be discovered on immunological mechanisms and genomic determinants. The causative agents of Lyme disease (LD) are spirochete bacteria composed of multiple species of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex, including B. burgdorferi (Bb), the main LD pathogen in North America-a useful model for the study of mechanisms underlying host-pathogen association. Host adaptation requires pathogens' ability to evade host immune responses, such as complement, the first-line innate immune defense mechanism. We tested the hypothesis that different host-adapted phenotypes among Bb strains are linked to polymorphic loci that confer complement evasion traits in a host-specific manner. We first examined the survivability of 20 Bb strains in sera in vitro and/or bloodstream and tissues in vivo from rodent and avian LD models. Three groups of complement-dependent host-association phenotypes emerged. We analyzed complement-evasion genes, identified a priori among all strains and sequenced and compared genomes for individual strains representing each phenotype. The evolutionary history of ospC loci is correlated with host-specific complement-evasion phenotypes, while comparative genomics suggests that several gene families and loci are potentially involved in host association. This multidisciplinary work provides novel insights into the functional evolution of host-adapted phenotypes, building a foundation for further investigation of the immunological and genomic determinants of host association. IMPORTANCE Host association is the phenotype that is commonly found in many pathogens that preferential survive in particular hosts. The Lyme disease (LD)-causing agent, B. burgdorferi (Bb), is an ideal model to study host association, as Bb is mainly maintained in nature through rodent and avian hosts. A widespread yet untested concept posits that host association in Bb strains is linked to Bb functional genetic variation conferring evasion to complement, an innate defense mechanism in vertebrate sera. Here, we tested this concept by grouping 20 Bb strains into three complement-dependent host-association phenotypes based on their survivability in sera and/or bloodstream and distal tissues in rodent and avian LD models. Phylogenomic analysis of these strains further correlated several gene families and loci, including ospC, with host-specific complement-evasion phenotypes. Such multifaceted studies thus pave the road to further identify the determinants of host association, providing mechanistic insights into host-pathogen interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Combs
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, New York, USA
- Institute for Genomics in Health, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, New York, USA
| | - Ashley L. Marcinkiewicz
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, USA
| | - Alan P. Dupuis
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, USA
| | - April D. Davis
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, USA
| | - Patricia Lederman
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, USA
| | - Tristan A. Nowak
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, USA
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, SUNY Albany, Albany, New York, USA
| | - Jessica L. Stout
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, USA
| | - Klemen Strle
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, USA
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, SUNY Albany, Albany, New York, USA
| | - Volker Fingerle
- German National Reference Centre for Borrelia, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Oberschleissheim, Germany
| | - Gabriele Margos
- German National Reference Centre for Borrelia, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Oberschleissheim, Germany
| | - Alexander T. Ciota
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, USA
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, SUNY Albany, Albany, New York, USA
| | - Maria A. Diuk-Wasser
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Sergios-Orestis Kolokotronis
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, New York, USA
- Institute for Genomics in Health, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, New York, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, New York, USA
- Department of Cell Biology, College of Medicine, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, New York, USA
| | - Yi-Pin Lin
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, USA
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, SUNY Albany, Albany, New York, USA
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26
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CspZ FH-Binding Sites as Epitopes Promote Antibody-Mediated Lyme Borreliae Clearance. Infect Immun 2022; 90:e0006222. [PMID: 35861564 PMCID: PMC9302089 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00062-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Transmitted by ticks, the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato is the causative agent of Lyme disease (LD), the most common vector-borne disease in the Northern hemisphere. No effective vaccines are currently available. B. burgdorferi sensu lato produces the CspZ protein that binds to the complement inhibitor, factor H (FH), promoting evasion of the host complement system. We previously showed that while vaccination with CspZ did not protect mice from B. burgdorferi infection, mice can be protected after immunization with CspZ-Y207A/Y211A (CspZ-YA), a CspZ mutant protein without FH-binding activity. To further study the mechanism of this protection, herein we evaluated both poly- and monoclonal antibodies recognizing CspZ FH-binding or non-FH-binding sites. We found that the anti-CspZ antibodies that recognize the FH-binding sites (i.e., block FH-binding activity) eliminate B. burgdorferi sensu lato in vitro more efficiently than those that bind to the non-FH-binding sites, and passive inoculation with anti-FH-binding site antibodies eradicated B. burgdorferi sensu lato in vivo. Antibodies against non-FH-binding sites did not have the same effect. These results emphasize the importance of CspZ FH-binding sites in triggering a protective antibody response against B. burgdorferi sensu lato in future LD vaccines.
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27
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Thompson C, George S, White ML, Eswara PJ, Ouyang Z. BB0761, a MepM homolog, contributes to Borrelia burgdorferi cell division and mammalian infectivity. Mol Microbiol 2022; 117:1405-1418. [PMID: 35510701 PMCID: PMC9794411 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2022] [Revised: 05/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
M23 family endopeptidases play important roles in cell division and separation in a wide variety of bacteria. Recent studies have suggested that these proteins also contribute to bacterial virulence. However, the biological function of M23 peptidases in pathogenic spirochetes remains unexplored. Here, we describe Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterial pathogen causing Lyme disease, requires a putative M23 family homolog, BB0761, for spirochete morphology and cell division. Indeed, the inactivation of bb0761 led to an aberrant filamentous phenotype as well as the impairment of B. burgdorferi growth in vitro. These phenotypes were complemented not only with B. burgdorferi bb0761, but also with the mepM gene from E. coli. Moreover, the bb0761 mutant showed a complete loss of infectivity in a murine model of Lyme borreliosis. Resistance of the mutant to osmotic and oxidative stresses was markedly reduced. Our combined results indicate that BB0761 contributes to B. burgdorferi cell division and virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Thompson
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Sierra George
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Maria L. White
- Department of Cell Biology, Microbiology and Molecular Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Prahathees J. Eswara
- Department of Cell Biology, Microbiology and Molecular Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Zhiming Ouyang
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
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28
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Castellanos M, Verhey TB, Goldstein M, Chaconas G. The Putative Endonuclease Activity of MutL Is Required for the Segmental Gene Conversion Events That Drive Antigenic Variation of the Lyme Disease Spirochete. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:888494. [PMID: 35663861 PMCID: PMC9159922 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.888494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, encodes an elaborate antigenic variation system that promotes the ongoing variation of a major surface lipoprotein, VlsE. Changes in VlsE are continual and always one step ahead of the host acquired immune system, which requires 1–2 weeks to generate specific antibodies. By the time this happens, new VlsE variants have arisen that escape immunosurveillance, providing an avenue for persistent infection. This antigenic variation system is driven by segmental gene conversion events that transfer information from a series of silent cassettes (vls2-16) to the expression locus, vlsE. The molecular details of this process remain elusive. Recombinational switching at vlsE is RecA-independent and the only required factor identified to date is the RuvAB branch migrase. In this work we have used next generation long-read sequencing to analyze the effect of several DNA replication/recombination/repair gene disruptions on the frequency of gene conversions at vlsE and report a requirement for the mismatch repair protein MutL. Site directed mutagenesis of mutL suggests that the putative MutL endonuclease activity is required for recombinational switching at vlsE. This is the first report of an unexpected essential role for MutL in a bacterial recombination system and expands the known function of this protein as well as our knowledge of the details of the novel recombinational switching mechanism for vlsE variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mildred Castellanos
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cumming School of Medicine, Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Theodore B. Verhey
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cumming School of Medicine, Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Madeleine Goldstein
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cumming School of Medicine, Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - George Chaconas
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cumming School of Medicine, Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Cumming School of Medicine, Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- *Correspondence: George Chaconas,
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29
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Stevenson B, Krusenstjerna AC, Castro-Padovani TN, Savage CR, Jutras BL, Saylor TC. The Consistent Tick-Vertebrate Infectious Cycle of the Lyme Disease Spirochete Enables Borrelia burgdorferi To Control Protein Expression by Monitoring Its Physiological Status. J Bacteriol 2022; 204:e0060621. [PMID: 35380872 PMCID: PMC9112904 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00606-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, persists in nature by alternatingly cycling between ticks and vertebrates. During each stage of the infectious cycle, B. burgdorferi produces surface proteins that are necessary for interactions with the tick or vertebrate tissues it encounters while also repressing the synthesis of unnecessary proteins. Among these are the Erp surface proteins, which are produced during vertebrate infection for interactions with host plasmin, laminin, glycosaminoglycans, and components of the complement system. Erp proteins are not expressed during tick colonization but are induced when the tick begins to ingest blood from a vertebrate host, a time when the bacteria undergo rapid growth and division. Using the erp genes as a model of borrelial gene regulation, our research group has identified three novel DNA-binding proteins that interact with DNA to control erp transcription. At least two of those regulators are, in turn, affected by DnaA, the master regulator of chromosome replication. Our data indicate that B. burgdorferi has evolved to detect the change from slow to rapid replication during tick feeding as a signal to begin expression of Erp and other vertebrate-specific proteins. The majority of other known regulatory factors of B. burgdorferi also respond to metabolic cues. These observations lead to a model in which the Lyme spirochete recognizes unique environmental conditions encountered during the infectious cycle to "know" where they are and adapt accordingly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Stevenson
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
| | - Andrew C. Krusenstjerna
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
| | - Tatiana N. Castro-Padovani
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
| | - Christina R. Savage
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
| | - Brandon L. Jutras
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
| | - Timothy C. Saylor
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
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30
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Crowley MA, Bankhead T. Potential Regulatory Role in Mammalian Host Adaptation for a Small Intergenic Region of Lp17 in the Lyme Disease Spirochete. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:892220. [PMID: 35586252 PMCID: PMC9108270 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.892220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The bacterial agent of Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, relies on an intricate gene regulatory network to transit between the disparate Ixodes tick vector and mammalian host environments. We recently reported that a B. burgdorferi mutant lacking a transcriptionally active intergenic region of lp17 displayed attenuated murine tissue colonization and pathogenesis due to altered expression of multiple antigens. In this study, a more detailed characterization of the putative regulatory factor encoded by the intergenic region was pursued. In cis complemented strains featuring mutations aimed at eliminating potential protein translation were capable of full tissue colonization, suggesting that the functional product encoded by the intergenic region is not a protein as previously predicted. In trans complementation of the intergenic region resulted in elevated transcription of the sequence compared to wild type and was found to completely abolish infectivity in both immunocompetent "and immunodeficient mice. Quantitative analysis of transcription of the intergenic region by wild-type B. burgdorferi showed it to be highly induced during murine infection relative to in vitro culture. Lastly, targeted deletion of this intergenic region resulted in significant changes to the transcriptome, including genes with potential roles in transmission and host adaptation. The findings reported herein strongly suggest that this segment of lp17 serves a potentially critical role in the regulation of genes required for adaptation and persistence of the pathogen in a mammalian host.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Troy Bankhead
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States
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Jacobs MB, Grasperge BJ, Doyle-Meyers LA, Embers ME. Borrelia burgdorferi Migration Assays for Evaluation of Chemoattractants in Tick Saliva. Pathogens 2022; 11:530. [PMID: 35631051 PMCID: PMC9147933 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11050530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Uptake of the Lyme disease spirochete by its tick vector requires not only chemical signals present in the tick's saliva but a responsive phenotype by the Borrelia burgdorferi living in the mammalian host. This is the principle behind xenodiagnosis, wherein pathogen is detected by vector acquisition. To study migration of B. burgdorferi toward Ixodes scapularis tick saliva, with the goal of identifying chemoattractant molecules, we tested multiple assays and compared migration of host-adapted spirochetes to those cultured in vitro. We tested mammalian host-adapted spirochetes, along with those grown in culture at 34 °C, for their relative attraction to tick saliva or the nutrient N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (D-GlcNAc) and its dimer chitobiose using two different experimental designs. The host-adapted B. burgdorferi showed greater preference for tick saliva over the nutrients, whereas the cultured incubator-grown B. burgdorferi displayed no significant attraction to saliva versus a significant response to the nutrients. Our results not only describe a validated migration assay for studies of the Lyme disease agent, but provide a further understanding of how growth conditions and phenotype of B. burgdorferi are related to vector acquisition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary B. Jacobs
- Division of Immunology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Tulane University Health Sciences, Covington, LA 70433, USA;
| | - Britton J. Grasperge
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70802, USA;
| | - Lara A. Doyle-Meyers
- Division of Veterinary Medicine, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Tulane University Health Sciences, Covington, LA 70433, USA;
| | - Monica E. Embers
- Division of Immunology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Tulane University Health Sciences, Covington, LA 70433, USA;
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Tan X, Lin YP, Pereira MJ, Castellanos M, Hahn BL, Anderson P, Coburn J, Leong JM, Chaconas G. VlsE, the nexus for antigenic variation of the Lyme disease spirochete, also mediates early bacterial attachment to the host microvasculature under shear force. PLoS Pathog 2022; 18:e1010511. [PMID: 35605029 PMCID: PMC9166660 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Revised: 06/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Hematogenous dissemination is a critical step in the evolution of local infection to systemic disease. The Lyme disease (LD) spirochete, which efficiently disseminates to multiple tissues, has provided a model for this process, in particular for the key early event of pathogen adhesion to the host vasculature. This occurs under shear force mediated by interactions between bacterial adhesins and mammalian cell-surface proteins or extracellular matrix (ECM). Using real-time intravital imaging of the Lyme spirochete in living mice, we previously identified BBK32 as the first LD spirochetal adhesin demonstrated to mediate early vascular adhesion in a living mouse; however, deletion of bbk32 resulted in loss of only about half of the early interactions, suggesting the existence of at least one other adhesin (adhesin-X) that promotes early vascular interactions. VlsE, a surface lipoprotein, was identified long ago by its capacity to undergo rapid antigenic variation, is upregulated in the mammalian host and required for persistent infection in immunocompetent mice. In immunodeficient mice, VlsE shares functional overlap with OspC, a multi-functional protein that displays dermatan sulfate-binding activity and is required for joint invasion and colonization. In this research, using biochemical and genetic approaches as well as intravital imaging, we have identified VlsE as adhesin-X; it is a dermatan sulfate (DS) adhesin that efficiently promotes transient adhesion to the microvasculature under shear force via its DS binding pocket. Intravenous inoculation of mice with a low-passage infectious B. burgdorferi strain lacking both bbk32 and vlsE almost completely eliminated transient microvascular interactions. Comparative analysis of binding parameters of VlsE, BBK32 and OspC provides a possible explanation why these three DS adhesins display different functionality in terms of their ability to promote early microvascular interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Tan
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Yi-Pin Lin
- Division of Infectious Diseases, New York State Department of Health, Wadsworth Center, Albany, New York, United States of America
| | - Michael J. Pereira
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Mildred Castellanos
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Beth L. Hahn
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Phillip Anderson
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Jenifer Coburn
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - John M. Leong
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - George Chaconas
- Departments of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Immunology & Infectious Diseases, Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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Wong JK, Crowley MA, Bankhead T. Deletion of a Genetic Region of lp17 Affects Plasmid Copy Number in Borrelia burgdorferi. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:884171. [PMID: 35493747 PMCID: PMC9039534 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.884171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme disease pathogen, is maintained in its enzootic life cycle through complex gene regulatory pathways encoded on its uniquely fragmented genome. This genome consists of over 20 plasmids, and the regulatory mechanisms of plasmid maintenance and replication are largely unknown. The bbd21 gene, encoded on lp17 and a member of the paralogous family 32 proteins, was originally proposed to be a putative parA orthologue involved with plasmid partitioning; however, this function has not been confirmed to date. To determine the role of bbd21 in B. burgdorferi, we utilized targeted gene deletion and discovered bbd21 and bbd22 are co-transcribed. The effects of bbd21 and bbd22 deletion on plasmid copy number and mammalian infectivity were assessed. By qPCR, lp17 copy number did not differ amongst strains during mid-exponential and stationary growth phases. However, after in vitro passaging, the mutant strain demonstrated an 8-fold increase in lp17 copies, suggesting a cumulative defect in plasmid copy number regulation. Additionally, we compared lp17 copy number between in vitro and mammalian host-adapted conditions. Our findings showed 1) lp17 copy number was significantly different between these growth conditions for both the wild type and bbd21-bbd22 deletion mutant and 2) under mammalian host-adapted cultivation, the absence of bbd21-bbd22 resulted in significantly decreased copies of lp17. Murine infection studies using culture and qPCR demonstrated bbd21-bbd22 deletion resulted in a tissue colonization defect, particularly in the heart. Lastly, we showed bbd21 transcription appears to be independent of direct rpoS regulation based on similar expression levels in wild type and ΔrpoS. Altogether, our findings indicate the bbd21-bbd22 genetic region is involved with regulation of lp17 plasmid copy number. Furthermore, we propose the possibility that lp17 plasmid copy number is important for microbial pathogenesis by the Lyme disease spirochete.
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Drecktrah D, Hall LS, Crouse B, Schwarz B, Richards C, Bohrnsen E, Wulf M, Long B, Bailey J, Gherardini F, Bosio CM, Lybecker MC, Samuels DS. The glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenases GpsA and GlpD constitute the oxidoreductive metabolic linchpin for Lyme disease spirochete host infectivity and persistence in the tick. PLoS Pathog 2022; 18:e1010385. [PMID: 35255112 PMCID: PMC8929704 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We have identified GpsA, a predicted glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, as a virulence factor in the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia (Borreliella) burgdorferi: GpsA is essential for murine infection and crucial for persistence of the spirochete in the tick. B. burgdorferi has a limited biosynthetic and metabolic capacity; the linchpin connecting central carbohydrate and lipid metabolism is at the interconversion of glycerol-3-phosphate and dihydroxyacetone phosphate, catalyzed by GpsA and another glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, GlpD. Using a broad metabolomics approach, we found that GpsA serves as a dominant regulator of NADH and glycerol-3-phosphate levels in vitro, metabolic intermediates that reflect the cellular redox potential and serve as a precursor for lipid and lipoprotein biosynthesis, respectively. Additionally, GpsA was required for survival under nutrient stress, regulated overall reductase activity and controlled B. burgdorferi morphology in vitro. Furthermore, during in vitro nutrient stress, both glycerol and N-acetylglucosamine were bactericidal to B. burgdorferi in a GlpD-dependent manner. This study is also the first to identify a suppressor mutation in B. burgdorferi: a glpD deletion restored the wild-type phenotype to the pleiotropic gpsA mutant, including murine infectivity by needle inoculation at high doses, survival under nutrient stress, morphological changes and the metabolic imbalance of NADH and glycerol-3-phosphate. These results illustrate how basic metabolic functions that are dispensable for in vitro growth can be essential for in vivo infectivity of B. burgdorferi and may serve as attractive therapeutic targets. Lyme disease (borreliosis) is the most common tick-borne disease in the Northern hemisphere and its prevalence is increasing. Borrelia burgdorferi, the etiological agent of Lyme disease, is an enzootic pathogen that alternates between a tick vector and vertebrate host. Humans are considered an incidental host after transmission of B. burgdorferi following the bite of an infected tick. The mechanisms by which B. burgdorferi persists in the Ixodid tick, transmits to a vertebrate host and establishes infection are not well understood. Therefore, identifying virulence factors and uncovering the pathogenic strategies in the spirochete remain important to address the public health concerns of Lyme disease. In this study, we identify an enzyme involved in three-carbon metabolism, GpsA, as a new virulence factor with an effect on persistence in ticks. GpsA and GlpD, another enzyme, constitute a bidirectional metabolic node connecting lipid biosynthesis and glycolysis, which serves as the linchpin for regulating carbon utilization for B. burgdorferi throughout its enzootic cycle. Disruption of this node causes a lethal metabolic imbalance revealing a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of Lyme disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Drecktrah
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, United States of America
- * E-mail: (DD); (DSS)
| | - Laura S. Hall
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, United States of America
| | - Bethany Crouse
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, United States of America
| | - Benjamin Schwarz
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, United States of America
| | - Crystal Richards
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, United States of America
| | - Eric Bohrnsen
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, United States of America
| | - Michael Wulf
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, United States of America
| | - Bonnie Long
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, United States of America
| | - Jessica Bailey
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, United States of America
| | - Frank Gherardini
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, United States of America
| | - Catharine M. Bosio
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, United States of America
| | - Meghan C. Lybecker
- Department of Biology, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States of America
| | - D. Scott Samuels
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, United States of America
- Center for Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, United States of America
- * E-mail: (DD); (DSS)
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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.
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Probing the Role of bba30, a Highly Conserved Gene of the Lyme Disease Spirochete, Throughout the Mouse-Tick Infectious Cycle. Infect Immun 2021; 89:e0033321. [PMID: 34581605 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00333-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, has a complex and segmented genome consisting of a small linear chromosome and up to 21 linear and circular plasmids. Some of these plasmids are essential as they carry genes that are critical during the life cycle of the Lyme disease spirochete. Among these is a highly conserved linear plasmid, lp54, which is crucial for the mouse-tick infectious cycle of B. burgdorferi. However, the functions of most lp54-encoded open reading frames (ORFs) remain unknown. In this study, we investigate the contribution of a previously uncharacterized lp54 gene during the infectious cycle of B. burgdorferi. This gene, bba30, is conserved in the Borrelia genus but lacks any identified homologs outside the genus. Homology modeling of BBA30 ORF indicated the presence of a nucleic acid binding motif, helix-turn-helix (HTH), near the amino terminus of the protein, suggesting a putative regulatory function. A previous study reported that spirochetes with a transposon insertion in bba30 exhibited a noninfectious phenotype in mice. In the current study, however, we demonstrate that the highly conserved bba30 gene is not required by the Lyme disease spirochete at any stage of the experimental mouse-tick infectious cycle. We conclude that the undefined circumstances under which bba30 potentially confers a fitness advantage in the natural life cycle of B. burgdorferi are not factors of the experimental infectious cycle that we employ.
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Leimer N, Wu X, Imai Y, Morrissette M, Pitt N, Favre-Godal Q, Iinishi A, Jain S, Caboni M, Leus IV, Bonifay V, Niles S, Bargabos R, Ghiglieri M, Corsetti R, Krumpoch M, Fox G, Son S, Klepacki D, Polikanov YS, Freliech CA, McCarthy JE, Edmondson DG, Norris SJ, D'Onofrio A, Hu LT, Zgurskaya HI, Lewis K. A selective antibiotic for Lyme disease. Cell 2021; 184:5405-5418.e16. [PMID: 34619078 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Revised: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Lyme disease is on the rise. Caused by a spirochete Borreliella burgdorferi, it affects an estimated 500,000 people in the United States alone. The antibiotics currently used to treat Lyme disease are broad spectrum, damage the microbiome, and select for resistance in non-target bacteria. We therefore sought to identify a compound acting selectively against B. burgdorferi. A screen of soil micro-organisms revealed a compound highly selective against spirochetes, including B. burgdorferi. Unexpectedly, this compound was determined to be hygromycin A, a known antimicrobial produced by Streptomyces hygroscopicus. Hygromycin A targets the ribosomes and is taken up by B. burgdorferi, explaining its selectivity. Hygromycin A cleared the B. burgdorferi infection in mice, including animals that ingested the compound in a bait, and was less disruptive to the fecal microbiome than clinically relevant antibiotics. This selective antibiotic holds the promise of providing a better therapeutic for Lyme disease and eradicating it in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadja Leimer
- Antimicrobial Discovery Center, Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Xiaoqian Wu
- Antimicrobial Discovery Center, Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Yu Imai
- Antimicrobial Discovery Center, Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Madeleine Morrissette
- Antimicrobial Discovery Center, Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Norman Pitt
- Antimicrobial Discovery Center, Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Quentin Favre-Godal
- Antimicrobial Discovery Center, Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Akira Iinishi
- Antimicrobial Discovery Center, Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Samta Jain
- Antimicrobial Discovery Center, Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Mariaelena Caboni
- Antimicrobial Discovery Center, Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Inga V Leus
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
| | - Vincent Bonifay
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
| | - Samantha Niles
- Antimicrobial Discovery Center, Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Rachel Bargabos
- Antimicrobial Discovery Center, Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Meghan Ghiglieri
- Antimicrobial Discovery Center, Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Rachel Corsetti
- Antimicrobial Discovery Center, Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Megan Krumpoch
- Antimicrobial Discovery Center, Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Gabriel Fox
- Antimicrobial Discovery Center, Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Sangkeun Son
- Antimicrobial Discovery Center, Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Dorota Klepacki
- Center for Biomolecular Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Yury S Polikanov
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Cecily A Freliech
- Division of Geographic Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA 02111, USA
| | - Julie E McCarthy
- Division of Geographic Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA 02111, USA
| | - Diane G Edmondson
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77225, USA
| | - Steven J Norris
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77225, USA
| | - Anthony D'Onofrio
- Antimicrobial Discovery Center, Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Linden T Hu
- Division of Geographic Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA 02111, USA
| | - Helen I Zgurskaya
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
| | - Kim Lewis
- Antimicrobial Discovery Center, Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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Gilmore RD, Kneubehl AR, Lopez JE, Armstrong BA, Brandt KS, Van Gundy TJ. Modification of the multiplex plasmid PCR assay for Borrelia miyamotoi strain LB-2001 based on the complete genome sequence reflecting genomic rearrangements differing from strain CT13-2396. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2021; 13:101843. [PMID: 34656944 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2021.101843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The genome of Borrelia spp. consists of an approximate 1 megabase chromosome and multiple linear and circular plasmids. We previously described a multiplex PCR assay to detect plasmids in the North American Borrelia miyamotoi strains LB-2001 and CT13-2396. The primer pair sets specific for each plasmid were derived from the genome sequence for B. miyamotoi strain CT13-2396, because the LB-2001 complete sequence had not been generated. The recent completion of the LB-2001 genome sequence revealed a distinct number of plasmids (n = 12) that differed from CT13-2396 (n = 14). Notable was a 97-kilobase plasmid in LB-2001, not present in CT13-2396, that appeared to be a rearrangement of the circular plasmids of strain CT13-2396. Strain LB-2001 contained two plasmids, cp30-2 and cp24, that were not annotated for strain CT13-2396. Therefore, we re-evaluated the original CT13-2396-derived multiplex PCR primer pairs and determined their location in the LB-2001 plasmids. We modified the original multiplex plasmid PCR assay for strain LB-2001 to include cp30-2 and cp24. We also determined which LB-2001 plasmids corresponded to the amplicons generated from the original CT13-2396 primer sets. These observations provide a more precise plasmid profile based on the multiplex PCR assay and reflect the complexity of gene rearrangements that occur in B. miyamotoi strains isolated from the same geographic region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert D Gilmore
- Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO United States.
| | - Alexander R Kneubehl
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States; Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Job E Lopez
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States; Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Brittany A Armstrong
- Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO United States
| | - Kevin S Brandt
- Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO United States
| | - Taylor J Van Gundy
- Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO United States
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An rfuABCD-like operon and its relationship to riboflavin utilization and mammalian. Infect Immun 2021; 89:e0030721. [PMID: 34310888 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00307-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Riboflavin is an essential micronutrient, but its transport and utilization has remained largely understudied among pathogenic spirochetes. Here we show that Borrelia burgdorferi, the zoonotic spirochete that causes Lyme disease, is able to import riboflavin via products of its rfuABCD-like operon as well as synthesize flavin mononucleotide and flavin adenine dinucleotide despite lacking canonical genes for their synthesis. Additionally, a mutant deficient in the rfuABCD-like operon is resistant to the antimicrobial effect of roseoflavin, a natural riboflavin analog, and is attenuated in a murine model of Lyme borreliosis. Our combined results indicate that not only are riboflavin and the maintenance of flavin pools essential for B. burgdorferi growth, but that flavin utilization and its downstream products (e.g., flavoproteins) may play a more prominent role in B. burgdorferi pathogenesis than previously appreciated.
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40
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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.
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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
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Wachter J, Martens C, Barbian K, Rego ROM, Rosa P. Epigenomic Landscape of Lyme Disease Spirochetes Reveals Novel Motifs. mBio 2021; 12:e0128821. [PMID: 34156261 PMCID: PMC8262957 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01288-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Borrelia burgdorferi, the etiological agent of Lyme disease, persists in nature through an enzootic cycle consisting of a vertebrate host and an Ixodes tick vector. The sequence motifs modified by two well-characterized restriction/modification (R/M) loci of B. burgdorferi type strain B31 were recently described, but the methylation profiles of other Lyme disease Borrelia bacteria have not been characterized. Here, the methylomes of B. burgdorferi type strain B31 and 7 clonal derivatives, along with B. burgdorferi N40, B. burgdorferi 297, B. burgdorferi CA-11, B. afzelii PKo, B. afzelii BO23, and B. garinii PBr, were defined through PacBio single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing. This analysis revealed 9 novel sequence motifs methylated by the plasmid-encoded restriction/modification enzymes of these Borrelia strains. Furthermore, while a previous analysis of B. burgdorferi B31 revealed an epigenetic impact of methylation on the global transcriptome, the current data contradict those findings; our analyses of wild-type B. burgdorferi B31 revealed no consistent differences in gene expression among isogenic derivatives lacking one or more restriction/modification enzymes. IMPORTANCE The principal causative agent of Lyme disease in humans in the United States is Borrelia burgdorferi, while B. burgdorferi, B. afzelii, and B. garinii, collectively members of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato species complex, cause Lyme disease in Europe and Asia. Two plasmid-encoded restriction/modification systems have been shown to limit the genetic transformation of B. burgdorferi type strain B31 with foreign DNA, but little is known about the restriction/modification systems of other Lyme disease Borrelia bacteria. This paper describes the methylation motifs present on genomic DNAs of multiple B. burgdorferi, B. afzelii, and B. garinii strains. Contrary to a previous report, we did not find evidence for an epigenetic impact on gene expression by methylation. Knowledge of the motifs recognized and methylated by the restriction/modification enzymes of Lyme disease Borrelia will facilitate molecular genetic investigations of these important human pathogens. Additionally, the similar motifs methylated by orthologous restriction/modification systems of Lyme disease Borrelia bacteria and the presence of these motifs within recombinogenic loci suggest a biological role for these ubiquitous restriction/modification systems in horizontal gene transfer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny Wachter
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - Craig Martens
- Research Technologies Branch, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - Kent Barbian
- Research Technologies Branch, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - Ryan O. M. Rego
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Patricia Rosa
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, USA
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Borrelia burgdorferi BmpA-BBK32 and BmpA-BBA64: New Recombinant Chimeric Proteins with Potential Diagnostic Value. Pathogens 2021; 10:pathogens10060767. [PMID: 34207025 PMCID: PMC8234703 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10060767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Revised: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Currently, the diagnosis of Lyme disease is based mostly on two-tiered serologic testing. In the new generation of immunoenzymatic assays, antigens comprise whole-cell lysates of members of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) species complex, with the addition of selected recombinant proteins. Due to the high diversity of members of the B. burgdorferi s.l. genospecies and the low degree of conservation among the amino acid sequences of their proteins, serodiagnostic methods currently in use are not sufficient for the correct diagnosis of borreliosis. Two divalent chimeric proteins (BmpA-BBK32 and BmpA-BBA64) were expressed in Escherichia coli. Following purification by one-step metal-affinity chromatography, preparations were obtained containing milligram levels of chimeric protein exhibiting electrophoretic purity in excess of 98%. Reactivity of the new chimeric proteins with specific human IgG antibodies was preliminarily determined by Western blot. For this purpose, 20 negative sera and 20 positive sera was used. The new chimeric proteins were highly reactive with IgG antibodies contained in the serum of patients suffering from borreliosis. Moreover, no immunoreactivity of chimeric proteins was observed with antibodies in the sera of healthy people. These promising results suggest that new chimeric proteins have the potential to discriminate between positive and negative sera.
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43
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Seshu J, Moy BE, Ingle TM. Transformation of Borrelia burgdorferi. Curr Protoc 2021; 1:e61. [PMID: 33661557 DOI: 10.1002/cpz1.61] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Transformation techniques used to genetically manipulate Borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of Lyme disease, play a critical role in generating mutants that facilitate analyses of the role of genes in the pathophysiology of this bacterium. A number of borrelial mutants have been successfully isolated and characterized since the first electrotransformation procedure was established 25 years ago (Samuels, 1995). This article is directed at additional considerations for transforming infectious B. burgdorferi to generate strains retaining the plasmid profile of the parental strain, enabling analysis of transformants for in vitro and in vivo phenotypes. These methods are built on previously published protocols and are intended to add steps and tips to enhance transformation efficiency and recovery of strains amenable for studies involving colonization, survival, and transmission of B. burgdorferi during the vector and vertebrate phases of infection. © 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Preparation of stock cultures, propagation of spirochetes, and analysis of plasmid profiles Basic Protocol 2: Preparation of plasmid and linear DNA templates for transformation Basic Protocol 3: Transformation of B. burgdorferi Basic Protocol 4: Antibiotic selection of borrelial transformants Basic Protocol 5: Isolation of borrelial transformants in agar overlays Basic Protocol 6: Complementation of mutant borrelial strains in cis or in trans.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Seshu
- Department of Biology, South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Brian E Moy
- Department of Biology, South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Taylor MacMackin Ingle
- Department of Biology, South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
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44
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Ford L, Tufts DM. Lyme Neuroborreliosis: Mechanisms of B. burgdorferi Infection of the Nervous System. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11060789. [PMID: 34203671 PMCID: PMC8232152 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11060789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2021] [Revised: 06/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Lyme borreliosis is the most prevalent tick-borne disease in the United States, infecting ~476,000 people annually. Borrelia spp. spirochetal bacteria are the causative agents of Lyme disease in humans and are transmitted by Ixodes spp ticks. Clinical manifestations vary depending on which Borrelia genospecies infects the patient and may be a consequence of distinct organotropism between species. In the US, B. burgdorferi sensu stricto is the most commonly reported genospecies and infection can manifest as mild to severe symptoms. Different genotypes of B. burgdorferi sensu stricto may be responsible for causing varying degrees of clinical manifestations. While the majority of Lyme borreliae-infected patients fully recover with antibiotic treatment, approximately 15% of infected individuals experience long-term neurological and psychological symptoms that are unresponsive to antibiotics. Currently, long-term antibiotic treatment remains the only FDA-approved option for those suffering from these chronic effects. Here, we discuss the current knowledge pertaining to B. burgdorferi sensu stricto infection in the central nervous system (CNS), termed Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB), within North America and specifically the United States. We explore the molecular mechanisms of spirochete entry into the brain and the role B. burgdorferi sensu stricto genotypes play in CNS infectivity. Understanding infectivity can provide therapeutic targets for LNB treatment and offer public health understanding of the B. burgdorferi sensu stricto genotypes that cause long-lasting symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lenzie Ford
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
- Correspondence: (L.F.); (D.M.T.)
| | - Danielle M. Tufts
- Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Department, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
- Correspondence: (L.F.); (D.M.T.)
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Development of a capture sequencing assay for enhanced detection and genotyping of tick-borne pathogens. Sci Rep 2021; 11:12384. [PMID: 34117323 PMCID: PMC8196166 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-91956-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Inadequate sensitivity has been the primary limitation for implementing high-throughput sequencing for studies of tick-borne agents. Here we describe the development of TBDCapSeq, a sequencing assay that uses hybridization capture probes that cover the complete genomes of the eleven most common tick-borne agents found in the United States. The probes are used for solution-based capture and enrichment of pathogen nucleic acid followed by high-throughput sequencing. We evaluated the performance of TBDCapSeq to surveil samples that included human whole blood, mouse tissues, and field-collected ticks. For Borrelia burgdorferi and Babesia microti, the sensitivity of TBDCapSeq was comparable and occasionally exceeded the performance of agent-specific quantitative PCR and resulted in 25 to > 10,000-fold increase in pathogen reads when compared to standard unbiased sequencing. TBDCapSeq also enabled genome analyses directly within vertebrate and tick hosts. The implementation of TBDCapSeq could have major impact in studies of tick-borne pathogens by improving detection and facilitating genomic research that was previously unachievable with standard sequencing approaches.
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46
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Schiller ZA, Rudolph MJ, Toomey JR, Ejemel M, LaRochelle A, Davis SA, Lambert HS, Kern A, Tardo AC, Souders CA, Peterson E, Cannon RD, Ganesa C, Fazio F, Mantis NJ, Cavacini LA, Sullivan-Bolyai J, Hu LT, Embers ME, Klempner MS, Wang Y. Blocking Borrelia burgdorferi transmission from infected ticks to nonhuman primates with a human monoclonal antibody. J Clin Invest 2021; 131:144843. [PMID: 33914704 PMCID: PMC8159683 DOI: 10.1172/jci144843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Disrupting transmission of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex (B. burgdorferi) from infected ticks to humans is one strategy to prevent the significant morbidity from Lyme disease. We have previously shown that an anti-OspA human mAb, 2217, prevents transmission of B. burgdorferi from infected ticks in animal models. Maintenance of a protective plasma concentration of a human mAb for tick season presents a significant challenge for a preexposure prophylaxis strategy. Here, we describe the optimization of mAb 2217 by amino acid substitutions (2217LS: M428L and N434S) in the Fc domain. The LS mutation led to a 2-fold increase in half-life in cynomolgus monkeys. In a rhesus macaque model, 2217LS protected animals from tick transmission of spirochetes at a dose of 3 mg/kg. Crystallographic analysis of Fab in complex with OspA revealed that 2217 bound an epitope that was highly conserved among the B. burgdorferi, B. garinii, and B. afzelii species. Unlike most vaccines that may require boosters to achieve protection, our work supports the development of 2217LS as an effective preexposure prophylaxis in Lyme-endemic regions, with a single dose at the beginning of tick season offering immediate protection that remains for the duration of exposure risk.
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MESH Headings
- Amino Acid Substitution
- Animals
- Antibodies, Bacterial/genetics
- Antibodies, Bacterial/immunology
- Antibodies, Bacterial/pharmacology
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/genetics
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/immunology
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/pharmacology
- Antigens, Surface/genetics
- Antigens, Surface/immunology
- Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins/genetics
- Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins/immunology
- Bacterial Vaccines/genetics
- Bacterial Vaccines/immunology
- Borrelia burgdorferi/genetics
- Borrelia burgdorferi/immunology
- Disease Models, Animal
- Humans
- Lipoproteins/genetics
- Lipoproteins/immunology
- Lyme Disease/drug therapy
- Lyme Disease/genetics
- Lyme Disease/immunology
- Lyme Disease/transmission
- Macaca fascicularis
- Macaca mulatta
- Male
- Mice
- Mice, Transgenic
- Mutation, Missense
- Ticks/immunology
- Ticks/microbiology
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary A. Schiller
- MassBiologics of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Jacqueline R. Toomey
- MassBiologics of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Monir Ejemel
- MassBiologics of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Simon A. Davis
- New York Structural Biology Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Havard S. Lambert
- Division of Bacteriology and Parasitology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Tulane University Health Sciences Center, Covington, Louisiana, USA
| | - Aurélie Kern
- Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Amanda C. Tardo
- Division of Bacteriology and Parasitology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Tulane University Health Sciences Center, Covington, Louisiana, USA
| | - Colby A. Souders
- MassBiologics of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Eric Peterson
- MassBiologics of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rebecca D. Cannon
- MassBiologics of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Chandrashekar Ganesa
- MassBiologics of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Frank Fazio
- MassBiologics of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Nicholas J. Mantis
- Division of Infectious Disease, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, USA
| | - Lisa A. Cavacini
- MassBiologics of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - John Sullivan-Bolyai
- MassBiologics of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Linden T. Hu
- Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Monica E. Embers
- Division of Bacteriology and Parasitology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Tulane University Health Sciences Center, Covington, Louisiana, USA
| | - Mark S. Klempner
- MassBiologics of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Yang Wang
- MassBiologics of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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47
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Gadila SKG, Rosoklija G, Dwork AJ, Fallon BA, Embers ME. Detecting Borrelia Spirochetes: A Case Study With Validation Among Autopsy Specimens. Front Neurol 2021; 12:628045. [PMID: 34040573 PMCID: PMC8141553 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2021.628045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The complex etiology of neurodegenerative disease has prompted studies on multiple mechanisms including genetic predisposition, brain biochemistry, immunological responses, and microbial insult. In particular, Lyme disease is often associated with neurocognitive impairment with variable manifestations between patients. We sought to develop methods to reliably detect Borrelia burgdorferi, the spirochete bacteria responsible for Lyme disease, in autopsy specimens of patients with a history of neurocognitive disease. In this report, we describe the use of multiple molecular detection techniques for this pathogen and its application to a case study of a Lyme disease patient. The patient had a history of Lyme disease, was treated with antibiotics, and years later developed chronic symptoms including dementia. The patient's pathology and clinical case description was consistent with Lewy body dementia. B. burgdorferi was identified by PCR in several CNS tissues and by immunofluorescent staining in the spinal cord. These studies offer proof of the principle that persistent infection with the Lyme disease spirochete may have lingering consequences on the CNS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiva Kumar Goud Gadila
- Division of Immunology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Tulane University Health Sciences, Covington, LA, United States
| | - Gorazd Rosoklija
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States.,Division of Molecular Imaging and Neuropathology, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, United States
| | - Andrew J Dwork
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States.,Division of Molecular Imaging and Neuropathology, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, United States.,Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Skopje, Macedonia.,Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Brian A Fallon
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Monica E Embers
- Division of Immunology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Tulane University Health Sciences, Covington, LA, United States
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48
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Davis MM, Brock AM, DeHart TG, Boribong BP, Lee K, McClune ME, Chang Y, Cramer N, Liu J, Jones CN, Jutras BL. The peptidoglycan-associated protein NapA plays an important role in the envelope integrity and in the pathogenesis of the lyme disease spirochete. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009546. [PMID: 33984073 PMCID: PMC8118282 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The bacterial pathogen responsible for causing Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, is an atypical Gram-negative spirochete that is transmitted to humans via the bite of an infected Ixodes tick. In diderms, peptidoglycan (PG) is sandwiched between the inner and outer membrane of the cell envelope. In many other Gram-negative bacteria, PG is bound by protein(s), which provide both structural integrity and continuity between envelope layers. Here, we present evidence of a peptidoglycan-associated protein (PAP) in B. burgdorferi. Using an unbiased proteomics approach, we identified Neutrophil Attracting Protein A (NapA) as a PAP. Interestingly, NapA is a Dps homologue, which typically functions to bind and protect cellular DNA from damage during times of stress. While B. burgdorferi NapA is known to be involved in the oxidative stress response, it lacks the critical residues necessary for DNA binding. Biochemical and cellular studies demonstrate that NapA is localized to the B. burgdorferi periplasm and is indeed a PAP. Cryo-electron microscopy indicates that mutant bacteria, unable to produce NapA, have structural abnormalities. Defects in cell-wall integrity impact growth rate and cause the napA mutant to be more susceptible to osmotic and PG-specific stresses. NapA-linked PG is secreted in outer membrane vesicles and augments IL-17 production, relative to PG alone. Using microfluidics, we demonstrate that NapA acts as a molecular beacon-exacerbating the pathogenic properties of B. burgdorferi PG. These studies further our understanding of the B. burgdorferi cell envelope, provide critical information that underlies its pathogenesis, and highlight how a highly conserved bacterial protein can evolve mechanistically, while maintaining biological function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marisela M. Davis
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Aaron M. Brock
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Molecular and Cellular Biology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Tanner G. DeHart
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Brittany P. Boribong
- Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Katherine Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Mecaila E. McClune
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Yunjie Chang
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
- Microbial Sciences Institute, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Nicholas Cramer
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Jun Liu
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
- Microbial Sciences Institute, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Caroline N. Jones
- Molecular and Cellular Biology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Brandon L. Jutras
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Molecular and Cellular Biology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
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49
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Farber C, Morey R, Krimmer M, Kurouski D, Rogovskyy AS. Exploring a possibility of using Raman spectroscopy for detection of Lyme disease. JOURNAL OF BIOPHOTONICS 2021; 14:e202000477. [PMID: 33486893 DOI: 10.1002/jbio.202000477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Revised: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Lyme disease (LD), one of the most prevalent tick-borne diseases in the United States (US), is caused by Borreliella burgdorferi sensu stricto (Bb). To date, in the US, LD diagnostics is primarily based on validated two-tiered serological testing, which overall exhibits low sensitivity among other drawbacks. In the present study, a potential of Raman spectroscopy (RS) to detect Bb infection in mice has been explored. For that, C3H mice were infected with wild-type Bb strains, 297, B31, or B31-derived mutant, ∆vlsE. Blood samples taken prior to and post Bb infection were subjected to RS. The data demonstrated that RS did not directly detect Bb spirochetes in blood, but rather sensed biochemical changes associated with Bb infection. Despite Bb infection-associated blood changes detectable by RS were very limited, the partial least square discriminant analysis showed that the average true positive rates were 86% for 297 and 89% for B31 and ∆vlsE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles Farber
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Rohini Morey
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Mark Krimmer
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Dmitry Kurouski
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Artem S Rogovskyy
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
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50
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The Brilliance of Borrelia: Mechanisms of Host Immune Evasion by Lyme Disease-Causing Spirochetes. Pathogens 2021; 10:pathogens10030281. [PMID: 33801255 PMCID: PMC8001052 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10030281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Lyme disease (LD) has become the most common vector-borne illness in the northern hemisphere. The causative agent, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, is capable of establishing a persistent infection within the host. This is despite the activation of both the innate and adaptive immune responses. B. burgdorferi utilizes several immune evasion tactics ranging from the regulation of surface proteins, tick saliva, antimicrobial peptide resistance, and the disabling of the germinal center. This review aims to cover the various methods by which B. burgdorferi evades detection and destruction by the host immune response, examining both the innate and adaptive responses. By understanding the methods employed by B. burgdorferi to evade the host immune response, we gain a deeper knowledge of B. burgdorferi pathogenesis and Lyme disease, and gain insight into how to create novel, effective treatments.
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