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Vrijmoeth HD, Ursinus J, Botey-Bataller J, Kuijpers Y, Chu X, van de Schoor FR, Scicluna BP, Xu CJ, Netea MG, Kullberg BJ, van den Wijngaard CC, Li Y, Hovius JW, Joosten LAB. Genome-wide analyses in Lyme borreliosis: identification of a genetic variant associated with disease susceptibility and its immunological implications. BMC Infect Dis 2024; 24:337. [PMID: 38515037 PMCID: PMC10956190 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-024-09217-z] [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: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Genetic variation underly inter-individual variation in host immune responses to infectious diseases, and may affect susceptibility or the course of signs and symptoms. METHODS We performed genome-wide association studies in a prospective cohort of 1138 patients with physician-confirmed Lyme borreliosis (LB), the most common tick-borne disease in the Northern hemisphere caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. Genome-wide variants in LB patients-divided into a discovery and validation cohort-were compared to two healthy cohorts. Additionally, ex vivo monocyte-derived cytokine responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells to several stimuli including Borrelia burgdorferi were performed in both LB patient and healthy control samples, as were stimulation experiments using mechanistic/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors. In addition, for LB patients, anti-Borrelia antibody responses were measured. Finally, in a subset of LB patients, gene expression was analysed using RNA-sequencing data from the ex vivo stimulation experiments. RESULTS We identified a previously unknown genetic variant, rs1061632, that was associated with enhanced LB susceptibility. This polymorphism was an eQTL for KCTD20 and ETV7 genes, and its major risk allele was associated with upregulation of the mTOR pathway and cytokine responses, and lower anti-Borrelia antibody production. In addition, we replicated the recently reported SCGB1D2 locus that was suggested to have a protective effect on B. burgdorferi infection, and associated this locus with higher Borrelia burgdorferi antibody indexes and lower IL-10 responses. CONCLUSIONS Susceptibility for LB was associated with higher anti-inflammatory responses and reduced anti-Borrelia antibody production, which in turn may negatively impact bacterial clearance. These findings provide important insights into the immunogenetic susceptibility for LB and may guide future studies on development of preventive or therapeutic measures. TRIAL REGISTRATION The LymeProspect study was registered with the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (NTR4998, registration date 2015-02-13).
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Affiliation(s)
- Hedwig D Vrijmoeth
- Department of Internal Medicine and Radboudumc Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, 6500 HB, the Netherlands
| | - Jeanine Ursinus
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Amsterdam UMC, Location AMC, University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 22660, Amsterdam, 1100 DD, the Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Javier Botey-Bataller
- Department of Internal Medicine and Radboudumc Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, 6500 HB, the Netherlands
- Department of Computational Biology for Individualised Infection Medicine, Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine, a joint venture between the Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 30625, Hannover, Germany
- TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, a joint venture between the Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Yunus Kuijpers
- Department of Computational Biology for Individualised Infection Medicine, Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine, a joint venture between the Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 30625, Hannover, Germany
- TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, a joint venture between the Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Xiaojing Chu
- Department of Computational Biology for Individualised Infection Medicine, Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine, a joint venture between the Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 30625, Hannover, Germany
- TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, a joint venture between the Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Freek R van de Schoor
- Department of Internal Medicine and Radboudumc Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, 6500 HB, the Netherlands
| | - Brendon P Scicluna
- Department of Applied Biomedical Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, Mater Dei Hospital, University of Malta, MSD 2080, Msida, Malta
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Biobanking, Biomedical Sciences, University of Malta, MSD 2080, Msida, Malta
| | - Cheng-Jian Xu
- Department of Internal Medicine and Radboudumc Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, 6500 HB, the Netherlands
- Department of Computational Biology for Individualised Infection Medicine, Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine, a joint venture between the Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 30625, Hannover, Germany
- TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, a joint venture between the Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Mihai G Netea
- Department of Internal Medicine and Radboudumc Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, 6500 HB, the Netherlands
- Department of Immunology and Metabolism, Life and Medical Sciences Institute, University of Bonn, 53113, Bonn, Germany
| | - Bart Jan Kullberg
- Department of Internal Medicine and Radboudumc Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, 6500 HB, the Netherlands
| | - Cees C van den Wijngaard
- National Institute for Public Health and Environment (RIVM), Center for Infectious Disease Control, Bilthoven, 3720 BA, the Netherlands
| | - Yang Li
- Department of Internal Medicine and Radboudumc Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, 6500 HB, the Netherlands
- Department of Computational Biology for Individualised Infection Medicine, Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine, a joint venture between the Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 30625, Hannover, Germany
- TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, a joint venture between the Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Joppe W Hovius
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Amsterdam UMC, Location AMC, University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 22660, Amsterdam, 1100 DD, the Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Leo A B Joosten
- Department of Internal Medicine and Radboudumc Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, 6500 HB, the Netherlands.
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Kumaresan V, Ingle TM, Kilgore N, Zhang G, Hermann BP, Seshu J. Cellular and transcriptome signatures unveiled by single-cell RNA-Seq following ex vivo infection of murine splenocytes with Borrelia burgdorferi. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1296580. [PMID: 38149246 PMCID: PMC10749944 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1296580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Lyme disease, the most common tick-borne infectious disease in the US, is caused by a spirochetal pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb). Distinct host responses are observed in susceptible and resistant strains of inbred of mice following infection with Bb reflecting a subset of inflammatory responses observed in human Lyme disease. The advent of post-genomic methodologies and genomic data sets enables dissecting the host responses to advance therapeutic options for limiting the pathogen transmission and/or treatment of Lyme disease. Methods In this study, we used single-cell RNA-Seq analysis in conjunction with mouse genomics exploiting GFP-expressing Bb to sort GFP+ splenocytes and GFP- bystander cells to uncover novel molecular and cellular signatures that contribute to early stages of immune responses against Bb. Results These data decoded the heterogeneity of splenic neutrophils, macrophages, NK cells, B cells, and T cells in C3H/HeN mice in response to Bb infection. Increased mRNA abundance of apoptosis-related genes was observed in neutrophils and macrophages clustered from GFP+ splenocytes. Moreover, complement-mediated phagocytosis-related genes such as C1q and Ficolin were elevated in an inflammatory macrophage subset, suggesting upregulation of these genes during the interaction of macrophages with Bb-infected neutrophils. In addition, the role of DUSP1 in regulating the expression of Casp3 and pro-inflammatory cytokines Cxcl1, Cxcl2, Il1b, and Ccl5 in Bb-infected neutrophils were identified. Discussion These findings serve as a growing catalog of cell phenotypes/biomarkers among murine splenocytes that can be exploited for limiting spirochetal burden to limit the transmission of the agent of Lyme disease to humans via reservoir hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Venkatesh Kumaresan
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
- South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Taylor MacMackin Ingle
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
- South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Nathan Kilgore
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
- South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Guoquan Zhang
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
- South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Brian P. Hermann
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Janakiram Seshu
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
- South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
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Helble JD, Walsh MJ, McCarthy JE, Smith NP, Tirard AJ, Arnold BY, Villani AC, Hu LT. Single-cell RNA sequencing of murine ankle joints over time reveals distinct transcriptional changes following Borrelia burgdorferi infection. iScience 2023; 26:108217. [PMID: 37953958 PMCID: PMC10632114 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Lyme disease is caused by the bacterial pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi, which can be readily modeled in laboratory mice. In order to understand the cellular and transcriptional changes that occur during B. burgdorferi infection, we conducted single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of ankle joints of infected C57BL/6 mice over time. We found that macrophages/monocytes, T cells, synoviocytes and fibroblasts all showed significant differences in gene expression of both inflammatory and non-inflammatory genes that peaked early and returned to baseline before the typical resolution of arthritis. Predictions of cellular interactions showed that macrophages appear to communicate extensively between different clusters of macrophages as well as with fibroblasts and synoviocytes. Our data give unique insights into the interactions between B. burgdorferi and the murine immune system over time and allow for a better understanding of mechanisms by which the dysregulation of the immune response may lead to prolonged symptoms in some patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer D. Helble
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA
| | - Michael J. Walsh
- Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Julie E. McCarthy
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA
| | - Neal P. Smith
- Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Alice J. Tirard
- Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Benjamin Y. Arnold
- Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | | | - Linden T. Hu
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA
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Adkison H, Embers ME. Lyme disease and the pursuit of a clinical cure. Front Med (Lausanne) 2023; 10:1183344. [PMID: 37293310 PMCID: PMC10244525 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1183344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Lyme disease, caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, is the most common vector-borne illness in the United States. Many aspects of the disease are still topics of controversy within the scientific and medical communities. One particular point of debate is the etiology behind antibiotic treatment failure of a significant portion (10-30%) of Lyme disease patients. The condition in which patients with Lyme disease continue to experience a variety of symptoms months to years after the recommended antibiotic treatment is most recently referred to in the literature as post treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS) or just simply post treatment Lyme disease (PTLD). The most commonly proposed mechanisms behind treatment failure include host autoimmune responses, long-term sequelae from the initial Borrelia infection, and persistence of the spirochete. The aims of this review will focus on the in vitro, in vivo, and clinical evidence that either validates or challenges these mechanisms, particularly with regard to the role of the immune response in disease and resolution of the infection. Next generation treatments and research into identifying biomarkers to predict treatment responses and outcomes for Lyme disease patients are also discussed. It is essential that definitions and guidelines for Lyme disease evolve with the research to translate diagnostic and therapeutic advances to patient care.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Monica E. Embers
- Division of Immunology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Tulane University Health Sciences, Covington, LA, United States
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Gaber AM, Mandric I, Nitirahardjo C, Piontkivska H, Hillhouse AE, Threadgill DW, Zelikovsky A, Rogovskyy AS. Comparative transcriptome analysis of Peromyscus leucopus and C3H mice infected with the Lyme disease pathogen. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1115350. [PMID: 37113133 PMCID: PMC10126474 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1115350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Lyme disease (LD), the most prevalent tick-borne disease of humans in the Northern Hemisphere, is caused by the spirochetal bacterium of Borreliella burgdorferi (Bb) sensu lato complex. In nature, Bb spirochetes are continuously transmitted between Ixodes ticks and mammalian or avian reservoir hosts. Peromyscus leucopus mice are considered the primary mammalian reservoir of Bb in the United States. Earlier studies demonstrated that experimentally infected P. leucopus mice do not develop disease. In contrast, C3H mice, a widely used laboratory strain of Mus musculus in the LD field, develop severe Lyme arthritis. To date, the exact tolerance mechanism of P. leucopus mice to Bb-induced infection remains unknown. To address this knowledge gap, the present study has compared spleen transcriptomes of P. leucopus and C3H/HeJ mice infected with Bb strain 297 with those of their respective uninfected controls. Overall, the data showed that the spleen transcriptome of Bb-infected P. leucopus mice was much more quiescent compared to that of the infected C3H mice. To date, the current investigation is one of the few that have examined the transcriptome response of natural reservoir hosts to Borreliella infection. Although the experimental design of this study significantly differed from those of two previous investigations, the collective results of the current and published studies have consistently demonstrated very limited transcriptomic responses of different reservoir hosts to the persistent infection of LD pathogens. Importance The bacterium Borreliella burgdorferi (Bb) causes Lyme disease, which is one of the emerging and highly debilitating human diseases in countries of the Northern Hemisphere. In nature, Bb spirochetes are maintained between hard ticks of Ixodes spp. and mammals or birds. In the United States, the white-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus, is one of the main Bb reservoirs. In contrast to humans and laboratory mice (e.g., C3H mice), white-footed mice rarely develop clinical signs (disease) despite being (persistently) infected with Bb. How the white-footed mouse tolerates Bb infection is the question that the present study has attempted to address. Comparisons of genetic responses between Bb-infected and uninfected mice demonstrated that, during a long-term Bb infection, C3H mice reacted much stronger, whereas P. leucopus mice were relatively unresponsive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alhussien M. Gaber
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Igor Mandric
- Department of Computer Science, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Caroline Nitirahardjo
- Department of Biological Sciences, and School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, United States
| | - Helen Piontkivska
- Department of Biological Sciences, and School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, United States
- Brain Health Research Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH, United States
| | - Andrew E. Hillhouse
- Texas A&M Institute for Genomics Sciences and Society, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - David W. Threadgill
- Texas A&M Institute for Genomics Sciences and Society, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Alex Zelikovsky
- Department of Computer Science, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Artem S. Rogovskyy
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
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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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Zinck CB, Thampy PR, Rego ROM, Brisson D, Ogden NH, Voordouw M. Borrelia burgdorferi strain and host sex influence pathogen prevalence and abundance in the tissues of a laboratory rodent host. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:5872-5888. [PMID: 36112076 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2022] [Revised: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Experimental infections with different pathogen strains give insight into pathogen life history traits. The purpose of the present study was to compare variation in tissue infection prevalence and spirochete abundance among strains of Borrelia burgdorferi in a rodent host (Mus musculus, C3H/HeJ). Male and female mice were experimentally infected via tick bite with one of 12 strains. Ear tissue biopsies were taken at days 29, 59 and 89 postinfection, and seven tissues were collected at necropsy. The presence and abundance of spirochetes in the mouse tissues were measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. To determine the frequencies of our strains in nature, their multilocus sequence types were matched to published data sets. For the infected mice, 56.6% of the tissues were infected with B. burgdorferi. The mean spirochete load in the mouse necropsy tissues varied 4.8-fold between the strains. The mean spirochete load in the ear tissue biopsies decreased rapidly over time for some strains. The percentage of infected tissues in male mice (65.4%) was significantly higher compared to female mice (50.5%). The mean spirochete load in the seven tissues was 1.5× higher in male mice compared to female mice; this male bias was 15.3× higher in the ventral skin. Across the 11 strains, the mean spirochete loads in the infected mouse tissues were positively correlated with the strain-specific frequencies in their tick vector populations. The study suggests that laboratory-based estimates of pathogen abundance in host tissues can predict the strain composition of this important tick-borne pathogen in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher B Zinck
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Prasobh Raveendran Thampy
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Ryan O M Rego
- Biology Centre, Institute of Parasitology, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czechia
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czechia
| | - Dustin Brisson
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Nicholas H Ogden
- Public Health Risk Sciences, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, St Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada
- Groupe de Recherche en Épidémiologie des Zoonoses et Santé Publique (GREZOSP), Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, and Centre de Recherche en Santé Publique (CReSP), Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Maarten Voordouw
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
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8
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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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9
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Reply to Luger, "Why Is It So Hard to Find Persistent Borreliella burgdorferi?". mBio 2022; 13:e0216922. [PMID: 35993732 PMCID: PMC9600376 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02169-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
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Lyme arthritis: linking infection, inflammation and autoimmunity. Nat Rev Rheumatol 2021; 17:449-461. [PMID: 34226730 PMCID: PMC9488587 DOI: 10.1038/s41584-021-00648-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Infectious agents can trigger autoimmune responses in a number of chronic inflammatory diseases. Lyme arthritis, which is caused by the tick-transmitted spirochaete Borrelia burgdorferi, is effectively treated in most patients with antibiotic therapy; however, in a subset of patients, arthritis can persist and worsen after the spirochaete has been killed (known as post-infectious Lyme arthritis). This Review details the current understanding of the pathogenetic events in Lyme arthritis, from initial infection in the skin, through infection of the joints, to post-infectious chronic inflammatory arthritis. The central feature of post-infectious Lyme arthritis is an excessive, dysregulated pro-inflammatory immune response during the infection phase that persists into the post-infectious period. This response is characterized by high amounts of IFNγ and inadequate amounts of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. The consequences of this dysregulated pro-inflammatory response in the synovium include impaired tissue repair, vascular damage, autoimmune and cytotoxic processes, and fibroblast proliferation and fibrosis. These synovial characteristics are similar to those in other chronic inflammatory arthritides, including rheumatoid arthritis. Thus, post-infectious Lyme arthritis provides a model for other chronic autoimmune or autoinflammatory arthritides in which complex immune responses can be triggered and shaped by an infectious agent in concert with host genetic factors.
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11
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Jiang R, Meng H, Raddassi K, Fleming I, Hoehn KB, Dardick KR, Belperron AA, Montgomery RR, Shalek AK, Hafler DA, Kleinstein SH, Bockenstedt LK. Single-cell immunophenotyping of the skin lesion erythema migrans identifies IgM memory B cells. JCI Insight 2021; 6:148035. [PMID: 34061047 PMCID: PMC8262471 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.148035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The skin lesion erythema migrans (EM) is an initial sign of the Ixodes tick-transmitted Borreliella spirochetal infection known as Lyme disease. T cells and innate immune cells have previously been shown to predominate the EM lesion and promote the reaction. Despite the established importance of B cells and antibodies in preventing infection, the role of B cells in the skin immune response to Borreliella is unknown. Here, we used single-cell RNA-Seq in conjunction with B cell receptor (BCR) sequencing to immunophenotype EM lesions and their associated B cells and BCR repertoires. We found that B cells were more abundant in EM in comparison with autologous uninvolved skin; many were clonally expanded and had circulating relatives. EM-associated B cells upregulated the expression of MHC class II genes and exhibited preferential IgM isotype usage. A subset also exhibited low levels of somatic hypermutation despite a gene expression profile consistent with memory B cells. Our study demonstrates that single-cell gene expression with paired BCR sequencing can be used to interrogate the sparse B cell populations in human skin and reveals that B cells in the skin infection site in early Lyme disease expressed a phenotype consistent with local antigen presentation and antibody production.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Khadir Raddassi
- Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Ira Fleming
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | | | - Alexia A. Belperron
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Ruth R. Montgomery
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Alex K. Shalek
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- The Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Institute for Medical Engineering & Science, Department of Chemistry, and Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - David A. Hafler
- Department of Immunobiology
- Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Steven H. Kleinstein
- Department of Immunobiology
- Department of Pathology, and
- Interdepartmental Program in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Linda K. Bockenstedt
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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12
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Donta ST, States LJ, Adams WA, Bankhead T, Baumgarth N, Embers ME, Lochhead RB, Stevenson B. Report of the Pathogenesis and Pathophysiology of Lyme Disease Subcommittee of the HHS Tick Borne Disease Working Group. Front Med (Lausanne) 2021; 8:643235. [PMID: 34164410 PMCID: PMC8215209 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2021.643235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
An understanding of the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of Lyme disease is key to the ultimate care of patients with Lyme disease. To better understand the various mechanisms underlying the infection caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, the Pathogenesis and Pathophysiology of Lyme Disease Subcommittee was formed to review what is currently known about the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of Lyme disease, from its inception, but also especially about its ability to persist in the host. To that end, the authors of this report were assembled to update our knowledge about the infectious process, identify the gaps that exist in our understanding of the process, and provide recommendations as to how to best approach solutions that could lead to a better means to manage patients with persistent Lyme disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sam T Donta
- Falmouth Hospital, Falmouth, MA, United States
| | - Leith J States
- Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Wendy A Adams
- Bay Area Lyme Foundation, Portola Valley, CA, United States
| | - Troy Bankhead
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Pullman, WA, United States
| | - Nicole Baumgarth
- Center for Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Monica E Embers
- Division of Immunology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Tulane University School of Medicine, Covington, LA, United States
| | - Robert B Lochhead
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Brian Stevenson
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY, United States
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