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Christensen S, Rämisch S, André I. DnaK response to expression of protein mutants is dependent on translation rate and stability. Commun Biol 2022; 5:597. [PMID: 35710941 PMCID: PMC9203555 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03542-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Chaperones play a central part in the quality control system in cells by clearing misfolded and aggregated proteins. The chaperone DnaK acts as a sensor for molecular stress by recognising short hydrophobic stretches of misfolded proteins. As the level of unfolded protein is a function of protein stability, we hypothesised that the level of DnaK response upon overexpression of recombinant proteins would be correlated to stability. Using a set of mutants of the λ-repressor with varying thermal stabilities and a fluorescent reporter system, the effect of stability on DnaK response and protein abundance was investigated. Our results demonstrate that the initial DnaK response is largely dependent on protein synthesis rate but as the recombinantly expressed protein accumulates and homeostasis is approached the response correlates strongly with stability. Furthermore, we observe a large degree of cell-cell variation in protein abundance and DnaK response in more stable proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Signe Christensen
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
| | | | - Ingemar André
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
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Kim TK, Tirloni L, Bencosme-Cuevas E, Kim TH, Diedrich JK, Yates JR, Mulenga A. Borrelia burgdorferi infection modifies protein content in saliva of Ixodes scapularis nymphs. BMC Genomics 2021; 22:152. [PMID: 33663385 PMCID: PMC7930271 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-07429-0] [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: 09/07/2020] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lyme disease (LD) caused by Borrelia burgdorferi is the most prevalent tick-borne disease. There is evidence that vaccines based on tick proteins that promote tick transmission of B. burgdorferi could prevent LD. As Ixodes scapularis nymph tick bites are responsible for most LD cases, this study sought to identify nymph tick saliva proteins associated with B. burgdorferi transmission using LC-MS/MS. Tick saliva was collected using a non-invasive method of stimulating ticks (uninfected and infected: unfed, and every 12 h during feeding through 72 h, and fully-fed) to salivate into 2% pilocarpine-PBS for protein identification using LC-MS/MS. RESULTS We identified a combined 747 tick saliva proteins of uninfected and B. burgdorferi infected ticks that were classified into 25 functional categories: housekeeping-like (48%), unknown function (18%), protease inhibitors (9%), immune-related (6%), proteases (8%), extracellular matrix (7%), and small categories that account for <5% each. Notably, B. burgdorferi infected ticks secreted high number of saliva proteins (n=645) than uninfected ticks (n=376). Counter-intuitively, antimicrobial peptides, which function to block bacterial infection at tick feeding site were suppressed 23-85 folds in B. burgdorferi infected ticks. Similar to glycolysis enzymes being enhanced in mammalian cells exposed to B. burgdorferi : eight of the 10-glycolysis pathway enzymes were secreted at high abundance by B. burgdorferi infected ticks. Of significance, rabbits exposed to B. burgdorferi infected ticks acquired potent immunity that caused 40-60% mortality of B. burgdorferi infected ticks during the second infestation compared to 15-28% for the uninfected. This might be explained by ELISA data that show that high expression levels of immunogenic proteins in B. burgdorferi infected ticks. CONCLUSION Data here suggest that B. burgdorferi infection modified protein content in tick saliva to promote its survival at the tick feeding site. For instance, enzymes; copper/zinc superoxide dismutase that led to production of H2O2 that is toxic to B. burgdorferi were suppressed, while, catalase and thioredoxin that neutralize H2O2, and pyruvate kinase which yields pyruvate that protects Bb from H2O2 killing were enhanced. We conclude data here is an important resource for discovery of effective antigens for a vaccine to prevent LD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tae Kwon Kim
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
- Department of Diagnostic Medicine and Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, United States of America
| | - Lucas Tirloni
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Hamilton, Montana, United States of America
| | - Emily Bencosme-Cuevas
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Tae Heung Kim
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Jolene K Diedrich
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
- Mass Spectrometry Core, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - John R Yates
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Albert Mulenga
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America.
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Function of the Borrelia burgdorferi FtsH Homolog Is Essential for Viability both In Vitro and In Vivo and Independent of HflK/C. mBio 2016; 7:e00404-16. [PMID: 27094329 PMCID: PMC4850261 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00404-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
In many bacteria, the FtsH protease and its modulators, HflK and HflC, form a large protein complex that contributes to both membrane protein quality control and regulation of the cellular response to environmental stress. Both activities are crucial to the Lyme disease pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi, which depends on membrane functions, such as motility, protein transport, and cell signaling, to respond to rapid changes in its environment. Using an inducible system, we demonstrate that FtsH production is essential for both mouse and tick infectivity and for in vitro growth of B. burgdorferi. FtsH depletion in B. burgdorferi cells resulted in membrane deformation and cell death. Overproduction of the protease did not have any detectable adverse effects on B. burgdorferi growth in vitro, suggesting that excess FtsH does not proteolytically overwhelm its substrates. In contrast, we did not observe any phenotype for cells lacking the protease modulators HflK and HflC (ΔHflK/C), although we examined morphology, growth rate, growth under stress conditions, and the complete mouse-tick infectious cycle. Our results demonstrate that FtsH provides an essential function in the life cycle of the obligate pathogen B. burgdorferi but that HflK and HflC do not detectably affect FtsH function. Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, which is maintained in nature in an infectious cycle alternating between small mammals and Ixodes ticks. B. burgdorferi produces specific membrane proteins to successfully infect and persist in these diverse organisms. We hypothesized that B. burgdorferi has a specific mechanism to ensure that membrane proteins are properly folded and biologically active when needed and removed if improperly folded or dysfunctional. Our experiments demonstrate that FtsH, a protease that fulfills this role in other microorganisms, is essential to B. burgdorferi viability. Cells depleted of FtsH do not survive in laboratory culture medium and cannot colonize mice or ticks, revealing an absolute requirement for this protease. However, the loss of two potential modulators of FtsH activity, HflK and HflC, does not detectably affect B. burgdorferi physiology. Our results provide the groundwork for the identification of FtsH substrates that are critical for the bacterium’s viability.
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Serafini L, Hann JB, Kültz D, Tomanek L. The proteomic response of sea squirts (genus Ciona) to acute heat stress: a global perspective on the thermal stability of proteins. COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY D-GENOMICS & PROTEOMICS 2011; 6:322-34. [PMID: 21839695 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbd.2011.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2011] [Revised: 07/15/2011] [Accepted: 07/18/2011] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Congeners belonging to the genus Ciona have disparate distributions limited by temperature. Ciona intestinalis is more widespread with a cosmopolitan distribution ranging from tropical to sub-arctic zones, while Ciona savignyi is limited to temperate-latitudes of the northern Pacific Ocean. To compare the heat stress response between congeners, we quantified changes in protein expression using proteomics. Animals were exposed to 22°C, 25°C, and 28°C for 6h, then recovered at a control temperature (13°C) for 16h (high heat stress experiment). In a second experiment we exposed animals to lower levels of heat stress at 18°C, 20°C, and 23°C, with a 16°C control. A quantitative analysis, using 2D gel electrophoresis and MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry (with a 69% and 93% identification rate for Ciona intestinalis and Ciona savignyi, respectively), showed changes in a number of protein functional groups, including molecular chaperones, extracellular matrix proteins, calcium-binding proteins, cytoskeletal proteins and proteins involved in energy metabolism. Our results indicate that C. intestinalis maintains higher constitutive levels of molecular chaperones than C. savignyi, suggesting that it is prepared to respond faster to thermal stress. Systematic discrepancies between estimated versus predicted molecular masses of identified proteins differed between protein families and were more pronounced under high heat conditions, suggesting that thermal sensitivities are lower for cytoskeletal proteins and ATP-synthase than for any other protein group represented on 2D gels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loredana Serafini
- California Polytechnic State University, Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Coastal Marine Sciences, Environmental Proteomics Laboratory, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407-0401, USA
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Immunoproteomic analysis of Bordetella pertussis and identification of new immunogenic proteins. Vaccine 2009; 27:542-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2008.11.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2008] [Revised: 10/30/2008] [Accepted: 11/03/2008] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Hay RJ. Microbial antigens, heat shock proteins and skin disease. Curr Opin Infect Dis 2006; 12:169-70. [PMID: 17035773 DOI: 10.1097/00001432-199906000-00001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Cluss RG, Silverman DA, Stafford TR. Extracellular secretion of the Borrelia burgdorferi Oms28 porin and Bgp, a glycosaminoglycan binding protein. Infect Immun 2004; 72:6279-86. [PMID: 15501754 PMCID: PMC523065 DOI: 10.1128/iai.72.11.6279-6286.2004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme disease pathogen, cycles between its Ixodes tick vector and vertebrate hosts, adapting to vastly different biochemical environments. Spirochete gene expression as a function of temperature, pH, growth phase, and host milieu is well studied, and recent work suggests that regulatory networks are involved. Here, we examine the release of Borrelia burgdorferi strain B31 proteins into conditioned medium. Spirochetes intrinsically radiolabeled at concentrations ranging from 10(7) to 10(9) cells per ml secreted Oms28, a previously characterized outer membrane porin, into RPMI medium. As determined by immunoblotting, this secretion was not associated with outer membrane blebs or cytoplasmic contamination. A similar profile of secreted proteins was obtained for spirochetes radiolabeled in mixtures of RPMI medium and serum-free Barbour-Stoenner-Kelly (BSK II) medium. Proteomic liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis of tryptic fragments derived from strain B31 culture supernatants confirmed the identity of the 28-kDa species as Oms28 and revealed a 26-kDa protein as 5'-methylthioadenosine/S-adenosylhomocysteine nucleosidase (Pfs-2), previously described as Bgp, a glycosaminoglycan-binding protein. The release of Oms28 into the culture medium is more selective when the spirochetes are in logarithmic phase of growth compared to organisms obtained from stationary phase. As determined by immunoblotting, stationary-phase spirochetes released OspA, OspB, and flagellin. Oms28 secreted by strains B31, HB19, and N40 was also recovered by radioimmunoprecipitation. This is the first report of B. burgdorferi protein secretion into the extracellular environment. The possible roles of Oms28 and Bgp in the host-pathogen interaction are considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert G Cluss
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Middlebury College, VT 05753, USA.
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Anderton JM, Tokarz R, Thill CD, Kuhlow CJ, Brooks CS, Akins DR, Katona LI, Benach JL. Whole-genome DNA array analysis of the response of Borrelia burgdorferi to a bactericidal monoclonal antibody. Infect Immun 2004; 72:2035-44. [PMID: 15039324 PMCID: PMC375205 DOI: 10.1128/iai.72.4.2035-2044.2004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Identification and characterization of genes that contribute to infection with Borrelia burgdorferi and, of those, genes that are targets of host responses is important for understanding the pathogenesis of Lyme disease. The complement-independent bactericidal monoclonal antibody (MAb) CB2 recognizes a carboxy-terminal, hydrophilic epitope of the outer surface protein B (OspB). CB2 kills B. burgdorferi by an unknown bactericidal mechanism. Upon binding of CB2 to OspB, differentially expressed gene products may be responsible for, or associated with, the death of the organism. A time course of the response of B. burgdorferi to CB2 was completed to analyze the differential gene expression in the bacteria over a period of visual morphological changes. Bacteria were treated with a sublethal concentration in which spirochetes were visibly distressed by the antibody but not lysed. Preliminary whole-genome DNA arrays at various time points within 1 h of incubation of B. burgdorferi with the antibody showed that most significant changes occurred at 25 min. Circular plasmid 32 (cp32)-encoded genes were active in this period of time, including the blyA homologs, phage holin system genes. DNA array data show that three blyA homologs were upregulated significantly, >/==" BORDER="0">2 standard deviations from the mean of the log ratios, and a P value of </=0.01. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis verified blyA and blyB upregulation over an 18- to 35-min time course. The hypothesis to test is whether the killing mechanism of CB2 is through uncontrolled expression of the blyA and blyB phage holin system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie M Anderton
- Center for Infectious Diseases and Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA
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Ojaimi C, Brooks C, Casjens S, Rosa P, Elias A, Barbour A, Jasinskas A, Benach J, Katona L, Radolf J, Caimano M, Skare J, Swingle K, Akins D, Schwartz I. Profiling of temperature-induced changes in Borrelia burgdorferi gene expression by using whole genome arrays. Infect Immun 2003; 71:1689-705. [PMID: 12654782 PMCID: PMC152086 DOI: 10.1128/iai.71.4.1689-1705.2003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 231] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Borrelia burgdorferi is the etiologic agent of Lyme disease, the most prevalent arthropod-borne disease in the United States. The genome of the type strain, B31, consists of a 910,725-bp linear chromosome and 21 linear and circular plasmids comprising 610,694 bp. During its life cycle, the spirochete exists in distinctly different environments, cycling between a tick vector and a mammalian host. Temperature is one environmental factor known to affect B. burgdorferi gene expression. To identify temperature-responsive genes, genome arrays containing 1,662 putative B. burgdorferi open reading frames (ORFs) were prepared on nylon membranes and employed to assess gene expression in B. burgdorferi B31 grown at 23 and 35 degrees C. Differences in expression of more than 3.5 orders of magnitude could be readily discerned and quantitated. At least minimal expression from 91% of the arrayed ORFs could be detected. A total of 215 ORFs were differentially expressed at the two temperatures; 133 were expressed at significantly greater levels at 35 degrees C, and 82 were more significantly expressed at 23 degrees C. Of these 215 ORFs, 134 are characterized as genes of unknown function. One hundred thirty-six (63%) of the differentially expressed genes are plasmid encoded. Of particular interest is plasmid lp54 which contains 76 annotated putative genes; 31 of these exhibit temperature-regulated expression. These findings underscore the important role plasmid-encoded genes may play in adjustment of B. burgdorferi to growth under diverse environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Ojaimi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY 10595, USA
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Heroldová M, Nĕmec M, Hubálek Z. Growth parameters of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto at various temperatures. ZENTRALBLATT FUR BAKTERIOLOGIE : INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY 1998; 288:451-5. [PMID: 9987182 DOI: 10.1016/s0934-8840(98)80058-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Growth of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (prototype strain B-31) was studied in Barbour-Stoenner-Kelly BSK-H liquid medium, supplemented with 4.5% rabbit serum and antibiotics (phosphomycin, rifampicin), at various temperatures to early stationary growth phase. The number of cells was determined by darkfield microscopy. In the range of cultivation temperatures of 25 degrees C to 37 degrees C, generation time was between 8.26 and 12.36 h (the shortest one at 33 degrees C), and the specific growth rate between 0.056 and 0.083 h-1 (the highest one at 33 degrees C). The optimum growth temperature for B. burgdorferi was 33 degrees C, although good growth was also observed at 28 degrees C, 30 degrees C, 35 degrees C and 37 degrees C. The strain grew well but slowly at the temperature of 25 degrees C, whereas no growth was observed at 20 degrees C.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Heroldová
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno
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Zhang Y, Ohashi N, Rikihisa Y. Cloning of the heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) gene of Ehrlichia sennetsu and differential expression of HSP70 and HSP60 mRNA after temperature upshift. Infect Immun 1998; 66:3106-12. [PMID: 9632573 PMCID: PMC108320 DOI: 10.1128/iai.66.7.3106-3112.1998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/1998] [Accepted: 04/20/1998] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Ehrlichia sennetsu is the causative agent of human Sennetsu ehrlichiosis. Heat shock protein 60 (HSP60) and HSP70 (DnaK) are two major bacterial HSPs, and their interaction modulates the stress response. Previously, we cloned and sequenced groE and expressed groEL of E. sennetsu. HSP60 (GroEL) was immunogenic and cross-reactive in Ehrlichia spp. The present study was designed to (i) characterize the HSP70 gene of this organism and (ii) determine whether the expression of these two HSPs is inducible upon exposure to heat stress. A gene encoding an HSP70 homolog was isolated and sequenced from a gene library. The ehrlichial HSP70 gene encoded a 637-amino-acid protein, which had an approximate molecular mass of 68,354 Da and which was homologous to DnaK of Escherichia coli. A DNA sequence resembling -35 and -10 promoter sequences of E. coli dnaK was observed upstream of the ehrlichial HSP70 gene. Alignment of the predicted amino acid sequence with that of E. coli DnaK and Brucella, Salmonella, Borrelia, Chlamydia, and Mycobacterium HSP70s showed 63, 67, 63, 62, 58, and 53% identity, respectively. By reverse transcription-PCR analysis, the mRNA levels of ehrlichial HSP70 and HSP60 were examined after temperature shifts from 28 to 37 degreesC and from 37 to 40 degreesC. HSP70 mRNA induction levels were greater than those of HSP60 mRNA after a 37-to-40 degreesC temperature shift, whereas the reverse was true after a 28-to-37 degreesC temperature shift. Our data suggest that HSP60 and HSP70 may play different roles during transfer from vector temperature to human body temperature and during a febrile condition characteristic of ehrlichial disease. This study also provides a useful model system for examining mRNA expression in obligatory intracellular bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Zhang
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
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Sigal L. Lyme borreliosis (Lyme disease): interactions of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato with human (and other mammalian) hosts. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1998. [DOI: 10.1016/s0020-2452(98)80013-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Abstract
Lyme disease is a treatable and curable infectious disease that can be diagnosed with relative confidence with attention to the details of the syndrome and proper use of serologic testing to confirm the clinical diagnosis. Lyme disease should not be a "diagnosis of exclusion," made on the basis of isolated serologic reactivity or because of the presence of symptoms compatible with Lyme disease. The pathogenesis of chronic complaints following infection with B. burgdorferi is often unclear, but such persistent complaints should not automatically be ascribed to ongoing infection. There is no proven role for long-term antibiotics or combination regimens.
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Affiliation(s)
- L H Sigal
- Department of Medicine, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, USA
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Abstract
Lyme disease, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, causes a multisystem inflammatory ailment, although the precise means of tissue damage are not well understood. It is clear that the organism is present at the site of inflammation in many organs and that many of the features of the illness are relieved by antibiotic therapy. A complex interaction between spirochete and immune systems of a number of mammalian hosts, in human disease and animal models, has been described. It is clear that T cells and macrophages are intimately associated with the pathogenesis of arthritis and that immune mechanisms are involved in other aspects of disease. Inflammation directed at persistence of Borrelial antigens is a plausible explanation for persisting arthritis. Autoimmunity based on molecular mimicry may play a role in the pathogenesis of Lyme disease. Humoral immunity plays a protective role, prompting interest in vaccine development. Significant variation in certain of the outer surface proteins suggests that multiple proteins, peptides, or chimeric vaccines may be needed to provide a sufficiently broad humoral protective response.
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Affiliation(s)
- L H Sigal
- Division of Rheumatology and Connective Tissue Research, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick 08903, USA
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