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Damm AS, Reyer F, Langhoff L, Lin YP, Falcone FH, Kraiczy P. Multifunctional interaction of CihC/FbpC orthologs of relapsing fever spirochetes with host-derived proteins involved in adhesion, fibrinolysis, and complement evasion. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1390468. [PMID: 38726006 PMCID: PMC11079166 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1390468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Relapsing fever (RF) remains a neglected human disease that is caused by a number of diverse pathogenic Borrelia (B.) species. Characterized by high cell densities in human blood, relapsing fever spirochetes have developed plentiful strategies to avoid recognition by the host defense mechanisms. In this scenario, spirochetal lipoproteins exhibiting multifunctional binding properties in the interaction with host-derived molecules are known to play a key role in adhesion, fibrinolysis and complement activation. Methods Binding of CihC/FbpC orthologs to different human proteins and conversion of protein-bound plasminogen to proteolytic active plasmin were examined by ELISA. To analyze the inhibitory capacity of CihC/FbpC orthologs on complement activation, a microtiter-based approach was performed. Finally, AlphaFold predictions were utilized to identified the complement-interacting residues. Results and discussion Here, we elucidate the binding properties of CihC/FbpC-orthologs from distinct RF spirochetes including B. parkeri, B. hermsii, B. turicatae, and B. recurrentis to human fibronectin, plasminogen, and complement component C1r. All CihC/FbpC-orthologs displayed similar binding properties to fibronectin, plasminogen, and C1r, respectively. Functional studies revealed a dose dependent binding of plasminogen to all borrelial proteins and conversion to active plasmin. The proteolytic activity of plasmin was almost completely abrogated by tranexamic acid, indicating that lysine residues are involved in the interaction with this serine protease. In addition, a strong inactivation capacity toward the classical pathway could be demonstrated for the wild-type CihC/FbpC-orthologs as well as for the C-terminal CihC fragment of B. recurrentis. Pre-incubation of human serum with borrelial molecules except CihC/FbpC variants lacking the C-terminal region protected serum-susceptible Borrelia cells from complement-mediated lysis. Utilizing AlphaFold2 predictions and existing crystal structures, we mapped the putative key residues involved in C1r binding on the CihC/FbpC orthologs attempting to explain the relatively small differences in C1r binding affinity despite the substitutions of key residues. Collectively, our data advance the understanding of the multiple binding properties of structural and functional highly similar molecules of relapsing fever spirochetes proposed to be involved in pathogenesis and virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann-Sophie Damm
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital of Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Flavia Reyer
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital of Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Luisa Langhoff
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital of Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Yi-Pin Lin
- Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA, United States
| | - Franco Harald Falcone
- Institute of Parasitology, Biomedical Research Center Seltersberg, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Peter Kraiczy
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital of Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
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Koloski CW, Hurry G, Foley-Eby A, Adam H, Goldstein S, Zvionow P, Detmer SE, Voordouw MJ. Male C57BL/6J mice have higher presence and abundance of Borrelia burgdorferi in their ventral skin compared to female mice. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2024; 15:102308. [PMID: 38215632 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102308] [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: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2024]
Abstract
Borrelia burgdorferi is a tick-borne spirochete that causes Lyme disease in humans. The host immune system controls the abundance of the spirochete in the host tissues. Recent work with immunocompetent Mus musculus mice strain C3H/HeJ found that males had a higher tissue infection prevalence and spirochete load compared to females. The purpose of this study was to determine whether host sex and acquired immunity interact to influence the prevalence and abundance of spirochetes in the tissues of the commonly used mouse strain C57BL/6. Wildtype (WT) mice and their SCID counterparts (C57BL/6) were experimentally infected with B. burgdorferi via tick bite. Ear biopsies were sampled at weeks 4, 8, and 12 post-infection (PI) and five tissues (left ear, ventral skin, heart, tibiotarsal joint of left hind leg, and liver) were collected at necropsy (16 weeks PI). The mean spirochete load in the tissues of the SCID mice was 260.4x higher compared to the WT mice. In WT mice, the infection prevalence in the ventral skin was significantly higher in males (40.0 %) compared to females (0.0 %), and the spirochete load in the rear tibiotarsal joint was significantly higher (4.3x) in males compared to females. In SCID mice, the spirochete load in the ventral skin was 200.0x higher in males compared to females, but there were no significant sex-specific difference in spirochete load in the other tissues (left ear, heart, tibiotarsal joint, or liver). Thus, the absence of acquired immunity greatly amplified the spirochete load in the ventral skin of male mice. It is important to note that the observed sex-specific differences in laboratory mice cannot be extrapolated to humans. Future studies should investigate the mechanisms underlying the male bias in the abundance of B. burgdorferi in the mouse skin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody W Koloski
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - Georgia Hurry
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - Alexandra Foley-Eby
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - Hesham Adam
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - Savannah Goldstein
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - Pini Zvionow
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - Susan E Detmer
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - Maarten J Voordouw
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.
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Genné D, Jiricka W, Sarr A, Voordouw MJ. Tick-to-host transmission differs between Borrelia afzelii strains. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0167523. [PMID: 37676027 PMCID: PMC10580945 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01675-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Many vector-borne pathogens establish multiple-strain infections in the vertebrate host and the arthropod vector. Multiple-strain infections in the host influence strain acquisition by naive vectors. Whether multiple-strain infections in the vector influence strain-specific transmission to naive hosts remains unknown. The spirochete, Borrelia afzelii, causes Lyme borreliosis and multiple-strain infections are common in both the tick vector and vertebrate host. Our study used two B. afzelii strains: Fin-Jyv-A3 and NE4049. Donor mice were infected with Fin-Jyv-A3 alone, NE4049 alone, or with both strains. Larval ticks fed on donor mice and molted into nymphal ticks infected with either strain or both strains. These nymphs were fed on test mice to determine whether multiple-strain infections in the nymph influence nymph-to-host transmission (NHT). Multiple-strain infection in the donor mice reduced the acquisition of both strains by ticks by 23%. Thus, a substantial fraction of infected nymphs from the multiple strain treatment were infected with the "wrong" competitor strain rather than the "right" focal strain. As a result, nymphs from the multiple strain treatment were 46% less likely to infect the test mice with the focal strain compared to nymphs from the single strain treatment. However, multiple-strain infection in the nymphal tick had no effect on the NHT of either strain. The nymphal spirochete load of Fin-Jyv-A3 was 1.9 times higher compared to NE4049. NHT of Fin-Jyv-A3 (79%) was 1.5 times higher compared to NE4049 (53%). Our study suggests that B. afzelii strains with higher nymphal spirochete loads have higher NHT. IMPORTANCE For many vector-borne pathogens, multiple-strain infections in the vertebrate host or arthropod vector are common. Multiple-strain infections in the host reduce strain acquisition by feeding vectors. Whether multiple-strain infections in the vector influence strain transmission to the host remains unknown. In our study, we used two strains of the tick-borne spirochete Borrelia afzelii, which causes Lyme borreliosis, to investigate whether multiple-strain infections in the nymphal tick influenced nymph-to-host transmission (NHT) of strains. Multiple-strain infections in mice reduced the acquisition of both B. afzelii strains by nymphal ticks. As a result, nymphs from the multiple strain treatment were less likely to infect naive test mice with the focal strain. Multiple-strain infection in the nymphal ticks did not influence the NHT of either strain. The strain with the higher bacterial abundance in the nymph had higher NHT. Our study suggests that pathogen abundance in the arthropod vector is important for vector-to-host transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dolores Genné
- Laboratory of Ecology and Evolution of Parasites, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Whitney Jiricka
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Anouk Sarr
- Laboratory of Ecology and Evolution of Parasites, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Maarten J. Voordouw
- Laboratory of Ecology and Evolution of Parasites, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
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Tan X, Castellanos M, Chaconas G. Choreography of Lyme Disease Spirochete Adhesins To Promote Vascular Escape. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0125423. [PMID: 37255427 PMCID: PMC10434219 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01254-23] [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: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato can cause a multitude of clinical manifestations because of its ability to disseminate into any organ system via migration through soft tissue, the lymphatic system, and the circulatory system. The latter is believed to constitute the predominant pathway for dissemination to distal sites from the inoculating tick bite. In spite of its importance, the hematogenous dissemination process remains largely uncharacterized, particularly due to difficulties studying this process in a living host and the lack of an in vitro system that recapitulates animal infection. In the current work, we provide the first information regarding the stage of the vascular transmigration pathway where three important adhesins function during invasion of mouse knee joint peripheral tissue from postcapillary venules. Using intravital imaging coupled with genetic experiments employing sequential double infection, we show a complex temporal choreography of P66, decorin binding proteins (DbpA/B), and outer surface protein C (OspC) at discrete steps along the pathway of vascular escape, underscoring the importance of B. burgdorferi adhesins in hematogenous dissemination in the mouse knee joint and the complexity of vascular transmigration by a disseminating pathogen. IMPORTANCE Lyme disease is caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, which is transmitted by a bite from an infected tick. Disease development involves a complex series of host-pathogen interactions as well as dissemination of the infecting organisms to sites distal to the original tick bite. The predominant pathway for this is believed to be hematogenous dissemination. The mechanism by which the spirochetes escape circulation is unknown. Here, using intravital microscopy, where the Lyme spirochete can be observed in a living mouse, we have studied the stage in the vascular escape process where each of three surface adhesins functions to facilitate escape of the spirochete from postcapillary venules to invade mouse knee joint peripheral tissue. A complex pattern of involvement at various locations in the multistage process is described using a unique experimental approach that is applicable to other disseminating pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Tan
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Mildred Castellanos
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - George Chaconas
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Infectious Diseases, Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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5
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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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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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7
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Curtis MW, Fierros CH, Hahn BL, Surdel MC, Kessler J, Anderson PN, Vandewalle-Capo M, Bonde M, Zhu J, Bergström S, Coburn J. Identification of amino acid domains of Borrelia burgdorferi P66 that are surface exposed and important for localization, oligomerization, and porin function of the protein. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:991689. [PMID: 36211976 PMCID: PMC9539438 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.991689] [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: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
P66, a bifunctional integral outer membrane protein, is necessary for Borrelia burgdorferi to establish initial infection and to disseminate in mice. The integrin binding function of P66 facilitates extravasation and dissemination, but the role of its porin function during murine infection has not been investigated. A limitation to studying P66 porin function during mammalian infection has been the lack of structural information for P66. In this study, we experimentally characterized specific domains of P66 with regard to structure and function. First, we aligned the amino acid sequences of P66 from Lyme disease-causing Borrelia and relapsing fever-causing Borrelia to identify conserved and unique domains between these disease-causing clades. Then, we examined whether specific domains of P66 are exposed on the surface of the bacteria by introducing c-Myc epitope tags into each domain of interest. The c-Myc epitope tag inserted C-terminally to E33 (highly conserved domain), to T187 (integrin binding region domain and a non-conserved domain), and to E334 (non-conserved domain) were all detected on the surface of Borrelia burgdorferi. The c-Myc epitope tag inserted C-terminally to E33 and D303 in conserved domains disrupted P66 oligomerization and porin function. In a murine model of infection, the E33 and D303 mutants exhibited decreased infectivity and dissemination. Taken together, these results suggest the importance of these conserved domains, and potentially P66 porin function, in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael W. Curtis
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Christa H. Fierros
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Beth L. Hahn
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Matthew C. Surdel
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Julie Kessler
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Phillip N. Anderson
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Marine Vandewalle-Capo
- Umeå Centre for Microbial Research, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Mari Bonde
- Umeå Centre for Microbial Research, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Jieqing Zhu
- Blood Research Institute, Versiti, Milwaukee, WI, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Sven Bergström
- Umeå Centre for Microbial Research, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Jenifer Coburn
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
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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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9
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Borrelia burgdorferi Surface Exposed GroEL Is a Multifunctional Protein. Pathogens 2021; 10:pathogens10020226. [PMID: 33670728 PMCID: PMC7922809 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10020226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2021] [Revised: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, has a large number of membrane proteins involved in a complex life cycle, that includes a tick vector and a vertebrate host. Some of these proteins also serve different roles in infection and dissemination of the spirochete in the mammalian host. In this spirochete, a number of proteins have been associated with binding to plasminogen or components of the extracellular matrix, which is important for tissue colonization and dissemination. GroEL is a cytoplasmic chaperone protein that has previously been associated with the outer membrane of Borrelia. A His-tag purified B. burgdorferi GroEL was used to generate a polyclonal rabbit antibody showing that GroEL also localizes in the outer membrane and is surface exposed. GroEL binds plasminogen in a lysine dependent manner. GroEL may be part of the protein repertoire that Borrelia successfully uses to establish infection and disseminate in the host. Importantly, this chaperone is readily recognized by sera from experimentally infected mice and rabbits. In summary, GroEL is an immunogenic protein that in addition to its chaperon role it may contribute to pathogenesis of the spirochete by binding to plasminogen and components of the extra cellular matrix.
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Pietikäinen A, Åstrand M, Cuellar J, Glader O, Elovaara H, Rouhiainen M, Salo J, Furihata T, Salminen TA, Hytönen J. Conserved lysine residues in decorin binding proteins of Borrelia garinii are critical in adhesion to human brain microvascular endothelial cells. Mol Microbiol 2021; 115:1395-1409. [PMID: 33512032 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Revised: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Lyme borreliosis is a tick-borne disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato spirochetes (Lyme borreliae). When the disease affects the central nervous system, it is referred to as neuroborreliosis. In Europe, neuroborreliosis is most often caused by Borrelia garinii. Although it is known that in the host Lyme borreliae spread from the tick bite site to distant tissues via the blood vasculature, the adherence of Lyme borreliae to human brain microvascular endothelial cells has not been studied before. Decorin binding proteins are adhesins expressed on Lyme borreliae. They mediate the adhesion of Lyme borreliae to decorin and biglycan, and the lysine residues located in the binding site of decorin binding proteins are important to the binding activity. In this study, we show that lysine residues located in the canonical binding site can also be found in decorin binding proteins of Borrelia garinii, and that these lysines contribute to biglycan and decorin binding. Most importantly, we show that the lysine residues are crucial for the binding of Lyme borreliae to decorin and biglycan expressing human brain microvascular endothelial cells, which in turn suggests that they are involved in the pathogenesis of neuroborreliosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annukka Pietikäinen
- Institute of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Laboratory Division, Clinical Microbiology, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Mia Åstrand
- Structural Bioinformatics Laboratory, Biochemistry, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland.,National Doctoral Programme in Informational and Structural Biology, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - Julia Cuellar
- Institute of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Otto Glader
- Institute of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Doctoral Programme in Clinical Research, Turku, Finland
| | - Heli Elovaara
- Institute of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Meri Rouhiainen
- Institute of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Doctoral Programme in Clinical Research, Turku, Finland
| | - Jemiina Salo
- Institute of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Tomomi Furihata
- Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacy and Experimental Therapeutics, School of Pharmacy, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tiina A Salminen
- Structural Bioinformatics Laboratory, Biochemistry, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - Jukka Hytönen
- Institute of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Laboratory Division, Clinical Microbiology, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
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11
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Abi ME, Ji Z, Jian M, Dai X, Bai R, Ding Z, Luo L, Chen T, Wang F, Wen S, Zhou G, Bao F, Liu A. Molecular Interactions During Borrelia burgdorferi Migration from the Vector to the Mammalian Nervous System. Curr Protein Pept Sci 2021; 21:517-526. [PMID: 31613726 DOI: 10.2174/1389203720666191015145714] [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: 07/16/2019] [Revised: 09/05/2019] [Accepted: 09/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Lyme disease (LD) is an infectious disease caused by the spirochetes of genus borrelia, which are transmitted by the ticks of the genus ixodes. LD is transmitted by the spirochete B. burgdorferi sensu lato. Once in contact with the host through a tick bite, the pathogen comes into contact with the host defense, and must escape this machinery to establish LD, thus using a large number of mechanisms involving the vector of the pathogen, the pathogen itself and also the host. The initial diagnosis of the disease can be made based on the clinical symptoms of LD and the disease can be treated and cured with antibiotics if the diagnosis is made early in the beginning of the disease. Contrariwise, if LD is left untreated, the pathogen disseminates throughout the tissues and organs of the body, where it establishes different types of disease manifestations. In the nervous system, the inflammation caused by B. burgdorferi is known as Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB). LNB is one of the principal manifestations of LD. In this review, we systematically describe the different molecular interactions among B. burgdorferi, the vector (tick) and the mammalian host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manzama-Esso Abi
- The Institute for Tropical Medicine, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, China.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Zhenhua Ji
- The Institute for Tropical Medicine, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, China.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Miaomiao Jian
- The Institute for Tropical Medicine, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, China.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Xiting Dai
- The Institute for Tropical Medicine, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, China.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Ruolan Bai
- The Institute for Tropical Medicine, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, China.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Zhe Ding
- The Institute for Tropical Medicine, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, China.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Lisha Luo
- The Institute for Tropical Medicine, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, China.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Taigui Chen
- The Institute for Tropical Medicine, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, China.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Feng Wang
- The Institute for Tropical Medicine, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, China.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Shiyuan Wen
- The Institute for Tropical Medicine, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, China.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Guozhong Zhou
- The Institute for Tropical Medicine, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, China.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Fukai Bao
- The Institute for Tropical Medicine, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, China.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, China.,Yunnan Province Key Laboratory for Major Children Diseases, Children Hospital of Kunming, Kunming 650300, China.,Yunnan Province Key Laboratory for Tropical Infectious Diseases in Universities, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, China.,Yunnan Demonstration Base of International Science and Technology Cooperation for Tropical Diseases, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Aihua Liu
- The Institute for Tropical Medicine, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, China.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, China.,Yunnan Province Key Laboratory for Major Children Diseases, Children Hospital of Kunming, Kunming 650300, China.,Yunnan Province Key Laboratory for Tropical Infectious Diseases in Universities, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, China.,Yunnan Demonstration Base of International Science and Technology Cooperation for Tropical Diseases, Kunming 650500, China
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12
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Coburn J, Garcia B, Hu LT, Jewett MW, Kraiczy P, Norris SJ, Skare J. Lyme Disease Pathogenesis. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2020; 42:473-518. [PMID: 33353871 DOI: 10.21775/cimb.042.473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Lyme disease Borrelia are obligately parasitic, tick- transmitted, invasive, persistent bacterial pathogens that cause disease in humans and non-reservoir vertebrates primarily through the induction of inflammation. During transmission from the infected tick, the bacteria undergo significant changes in gene expression, resulting in adaptation to the mammalian environment. The organisms multiply and spread locally and induce inflammatory responses that, in humans, result in clinical signs and symptoms. Borrelia virulence involves a multiplicity of mechanisms for dissemination and colonization of multiple tissues and evasion of host immune responses. Most of the tissue damage, which is seen in non-reservoir hosts, appears to result from host inflammatory reactions, despite the low numbers of bacteria in affected sites. This host response to the Lyme disease Borrelia can cause neurologic, cardiovascular, arthritic, and dermatologic manifestations during the disseminated and persistent stages of infection. The mechanisms by which a paucity of organisms (in comparison to many other infectious diseases) can cause varied and in some cases profound inflammation and symptoms remains mysterious but are the subjects of diverse ongoing investigations. In this review, we provide an overview of virulence mechanisms and determinants for which roles have been demonstrated in vivo, primarily in mouse models of infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenifer Coburn
- Center For Infectious Disease Research, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Rd., TBRC C3980, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
| | - Brandon Garcia
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, East Carolina University, Brody School of Medicine, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
| | - Linden T Hu
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Vice Dean of Research, Tufts University School of Medicine, 136 Harrison Ave., Boston, MA 02111, USA
| | - Mollie W Jewett
- Immunity and Pathogenesis Division Head, Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Florida College of Medicine, 6900 Lake Nona Blvd. Orlando, FL 32827, USA
| | - Peter Kraiczy
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt, Paul-Ehrlich-Str. 40, 60596 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Steven J Norris
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Texas Medical School at Houston, P.O. Box 20708, Houston, TX 77225, USA
| | - Jon Skare
- Professor and Associate Head, Texas A and M University, 8447 Riverside Pkwy, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
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13
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Abstract
Lyme disease (Lyme borreliosis) is a tick-borne, zoonosis of adults and children caused by genospecies of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex. The ailment, widespread throughout the Northern Hemisphere, continues to increase globally due to multiple environmental factors, coupled with increased incursion of humans into habitats that harbor the spirochete. B. burgdorferi sensu lato is transmitted by ticks from the Ixodes ricinus complex. In North America, B. burgdorferi causes nearly all infections; in Europe, B. afzelii and B. garinii are most associated with human disease. The spirochete's unusual fragmented genome encodes a plethora of differentially expressed outer surface lipoproteins that play a seminal role in the bacterium's ability to sustain itself within its enzootic cycle and cause disease when transmitted to its incidental human host. Tissue damage and symptomatology (i.e., clinical manifestations) result from the inflammatory response elicited by the bacterium and its constituents. The deposition of spirochetes into human dermal tissue generates a local inflammatory response that manifests as erythema migrans (EM), the hallmark skin lesion. If treated appropriately and early, the prognosis is excellent. However, in untreated patients, the disease may present with a wide range of clinical manifestations, most commonly involving the central nervous system, joints, or heart. A small percentage (~10%) of patients may go on to develop a poorly defined fibromyalgia-like illness, post-treatment Lyme disease (PTLD) unresponsive to prolonged antimicrobial therapy. Below we integrate current knowledge regarding the ecologic, epidemiologic, microbiologic, and immunologic facets of Lyme disease into a conceptual framework that sheds light on the disorder that healthcare providers encounter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin D. Radolf
- Department of Medicine, UConn Health, Farmington, CT 06030, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, UConn Health, Farmington, CT 06030, USA
- Departments of Genetics and Genome Sciences, UConn Health, Farmington, CT 06030, USA
- Departments of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, UConn Health, Farmington, CT 06030, USA
- Department of Immunology, UConn Health, Farmington, CT 06030, USA
| | - Klemen Strle
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Wadsworth Center, NY Department of Health, Albany NY, 12208, USA
| | - Jacob E. Lemieux
- Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Franc Strle
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University Medical Center Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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14
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Lin YP, Tan X, Caine JA, Castellanos M, Chaconas G, Coburn J, Leong JM. Strain-specific joint invasion and colonization by Lyme disease spirochetes is promoted by outer surface protein C. PLoS Pathog 2020; 16:e1008516. [PMID: 32413091 PMCID: PMC7255614 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2020] [Revised: 05/28/2020] [Accepted: 04/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Lyme disease, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, B. afzelii and B. garinii, is a chronic, multi-systemic infection and the spectrum of tissues affected can vary with the Lyme disease strain. For example, whereas B. garinii infection is associated with neurologic manifestations, B. burgdorferi infection is associated with arthritis. The basis for tissue tropism is poorly understood, but has been long hypothesized to involve strain-specific interactions with host components in the target tissue. OspC (outer surface protein C) is a highly variable outer surface protein required for infectivity, and sequence differences in OspC are associated with variation in tissue invasiveness, but whether OspC directly influences tropism is unknown. We found that OspC binds to the extracellular matrix (ECM) components fibronectin and/or dermatan sulfate in an OspC variant-dependent manner. Murine infection by isogenic B. burgdorferi strains differing only in their ospC coding region revealed that two OspC variants capable of binding dermatan sulfate promoted colonization of all tissues tested, including joints. However, an isogenic strain producing OspC from B. garinii strain PBr, which binds fibronectin but not dermatan sulfate, colonized the skin, heart and bladder, but not joints. Moreover, a strain producing an OspC altered to recognize neither fibronectin nor dermatan sulfate displayed dramatically reduced levels of tissue colonization that were indistinguishable from a strain entirely deficient in OspC. Finally, intravital microscopy revealed that this OspC mutant, in contrast to a strain producing wild type OspC, was defective in promoting joint invasion by B. burgdorferi in living mice. We conclude that OspC functions as an ECM-binding adhesin that is required for joint invasion, and that variation in OspC sequence contributes to strain-specific differences in tissue tropism displayed among Lyme disease spirochetes. Infection by different Lyme disease bacteria is associated with different manifestations, such as cardiac, neurologic, or, in the case of B. burgdorferi, the major cause of Lyme disease in the U.S., joint disease. The basis for these differences is unknown, but likely involve strain-specific interactions with host components in the target tissue. The sequence of the outer surface lipoprotein OspC varies with the strains, and we found that this variation influences the spectrum of host extracellular matrix components recognized. Infection of mice with strains that are identical except for ospC revealed that OspC variants that differ in binding spectrum promote infection of different tissues. A strain producing OspC invaded and colonized the joint in living animals, but an altered OspC protein incapable of binding tissue components did not. Thus, tissue-binding by OspC is critical for infection and joint invasion, and OspC variation directly influences tissue tropism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Pin Lin
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Division of Infectious Diseases, New York State Department of Health, Wadsworth Center, Albany, New York, United States of America
| | - Xi Tan
- Departments of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Immunology & Infectious Diseases, Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Jennifer A. Caine
- Division of Infectious Diseases, and Center for Infectious Disease Research, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Mildred Castellanos
- Departments of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Immunology & Infectious Diseases, Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - George Chaconas
- Departments of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Immunology & Infectious Diseases, Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Jenifer Coburn
- Division of Infectious Diseases, and Center for Infectious Disease Research, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States of America
- * E-mail: (JC); (JML)
| | - John M. Leong
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- * E-mail: (JC); (JML)
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15
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Vaca DJ, Thibau A, Schütz M, Kraiczy P, Happonen L, Malmström J, Kempf VAJ. Interaction with the host: the role of fibronectin and extracellular matrix proteins in the adhesion of Gram-negative bacteria. Med Microbiol Immunol 2019; 209:277-299. [PMID: 31784893 PMCID: PMC7248048 DOI: 10.1007/s00430-019-00644-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2019] [Accepted: 11/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The capacity of pathogenic microorganisms to adhere to host cells and avoid clearance by the host immune system is the initial and most decisive step leading to infections. Bacteria have developed different strategies to attach to diverse host surface structures. One important strategy is the adhesion to extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins (e.g., collagen, fibronectin, laminin) that are highly abundant in connective tissue and basement membranes. Gram-negative bacteria express variable outer membrane proteins (adhesins) to attach to the host and to initiate the process of infection. Understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms of bacterial adhesion is a prerequisite for targeting this interaction by “anti-ligands” to prevent colonization or infection of the host. Future development of such “anti-ligands” (specifically interfering with bacteria-host matrix interactions) might result in the development of a new class of anti-infective drugs for the therapy of infections caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. This review summarizes our current knowledge about the manifold interactions of adhesins expressed by Gram-negative bacteria with ECM proteins and the use of this information for the generation of novel therapeutic antivirulence strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana J Vaca
- Institute for Medical Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Paul-Ehrlich-Str. 40, 60596, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Arno Thibau
- Institute for Medical Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Paul-Ehrlich-Str. 40, 60596, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Monika Schütz
- Institute for Medical Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital, Eberhard Karls-University, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Peter Kraiczy
- Institute for Medical Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Paul-Ehrlich-Str. 40, 60596, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Lotta Happonen
- Division of Infection Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Johan Malmström
- Division of Infection Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Volkhard A J Kempf
- Institute for Medical Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Paul-Ehrlich-Str. 40, 60596, Frankfurt, Germany.
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16
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Federizon J, Lin YP, Lovell JF. Antigen Engineering Approaches for Lyme Disease Vaccines. Bioconjug Chem 2019; 30:1259-1272. [PMID: 30987418 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.9b00167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Increasing rates of Lyme disease necessitate preventive measures such as immunization to mitigate the risk of contracting the disease. At present, there is no human Lyme disease vaccine available on the market. Since the withdrawal of the first and only licensed Lyme disease vaccine based on lipidated recombinant OspA, vaccine and antigen research has aimed to overcome its risks and shortcomings. Replacement of the putative cross-reactive T-cell epitope in OspA via mutation or chimerism addresses the potential risk of autoimmunity. Multivalent approaches in Lyme disease vaccines have been pursued to address sequence heterogeneity of Lyme borreliae antigens and to induce a repertoire of functional antibodies necessary for efficient heterologous protection. This Review summarizes recent antigen engineering strategies that have paved the way for the development of next generation vaccines against Lyme disease, some of which have reached clinical testing. Bioconjugation methods that incorporate antigens to self-assembling nanoparticles for immune response potentiation are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmin Federizon
- Department of Biomedical Engineering , University at Buffalo, State University of New York , Buffalo , New York 14260 , United States
| | - Yi-Pin Lin
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health , Albany , New York 12208 , United States.,Department of Biomedical Sciences , State University of New York at Albany , Albany , New York 12222 , United States
| | - Jonathan F Lovell
- Department of Biomedical Engineering , University at Buffalo, State University of New York , Buffalo , New York 14260 , United States
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17
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Tufts DM, Hart TM, Chen GF, Kolokotronis SO, Diuk-Wasser MA, Lin YP. Outer surface protein polymorphisms linked to host-spirochete association in Lyme borreliae. Mol Microbiol 2019; 111:868-882. [PMID: 30666741 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Lyme borreliosis is caused by multiple species of the spirochete bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. The spirochetes are transmitted by ticks to vertebrate hosts, including small- and medium-sized mammals, birds, reptiles, and humans. Strain-to-strain variation in host-specific infectivity has been documented, but the molecular basis that drives this differentiation is still unclear. Spirochetes possess the ability to evade host immune responses and colonize host tissues to establish infection in vertebrate hosts. In turn, hosts have developed distinct levels of immune responses when invaded by different species/strains of Lyme borreliae. Similarly, the ability of Lyme borreliae to colonize host tissues varies among different spirochete species/strains. One potential mechanism that drives this strain-to-strain variation of immune evasion and colonization is the polymorphic outer surface proteins produced by Lyme borreliae. In this review, we summarize research on strain-to-strain variation in host competence and discuss the evidence that supports the role of spirochete-produced protein polymorphisms in driving this variation in host specialization. Such information will provide greater insights into the adaptive mechanisms driving host and Lyme borreliae association, which will lead to the development of interventions to block pathogen spread and eventually reduce Lyme borreliosis health burden.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle M Tufts
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Thomas M Hart
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Albany, Albany, NY, USA.,Division of Infectious Diseases, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, NY, USA
| | - Grace F Chen
- Department of Biology, Misericordia University, Dallas, PA, USA
| | - Sergios-Orestis Kolokotronis
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | - Maria A Diuk-Wasser
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Yi-Pin Lin
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, NY, USA.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, University at Albany, Albany, NY, USA
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18
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Bigelmayr S, Koenigs A, Kraiczy P. Inter- and intraspecies-specific adhesion of Lyme borreliae to human keratinocytes. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2019; 10:207-212. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2018.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2018] [Revised: 10/12/2018] [Accepted: 10/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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19
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Vechtova P, Sterbova J, Sterba J, Vancova M, Rego ROM, Selinger M, Strnad M, Golovchenko M, Rudenko N, Grubhoffer L. A bite so sweet: the glycobiology interface of tick-host-pathogen interactions. Parasit Vectors 2018; 11:594. [PMID: 30428923 PMCID: PMC6236881 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-018-3062-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2017] [Accepted: 08/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Vector-borne diseases constitute 17% of all infectious diseases in the world; among the blood-feeding arthropods, ticks transmit the highest number of pathogens. Understanding the interactions between the tick vector, the mammalian host and the pathogens circulating between them is the basis for the successful development of vaccines against ticks or the tick-transmitted pathogens as well as for the development of specific treatments against tick-borne infections. A lot of effort has been put into transcriptomic and proteomic analyses; however, the protein-carbohydrate interactions and the overall glycobiology of ticks and tick-borne pathogens has not been given the importance or priority deserved. Novel (bio)analytical techniques and their availability have immensely increased the possibilities in glycobiology research and thus novel information in the glycobiology of ticks and tick-borne pathogens is being generated at a faster pace each year. This review brings a comprehensive summary of the knowledge on both the glycosylated proteins and the glycan-binding proteins of the ticks as well as the tick-transmitted pathogens, with emphasis on the interactions allowing the infection of both the ticks and the hosts by various bacteria and tick-borne encephalitis virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavlina Vechtova
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, CZ-37005, České Budějovice, Czech Republic. .,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 1760, CZ-37005, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
| | - Jarmila Sterbova
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, CZ-37005, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 1760, CZ-37005, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Sterba
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, CZ-37005, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 1760, CZ-37005, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Marie Vancova
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, CZ-37005, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 1760, CZ-37005, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Ryan O M Rego
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, CZ-37005, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 1760, CZ-37005, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Selinger
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, CZ-37005, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 1760, CZ-37005, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Strnad
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, CZ-37005, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 1760, CZ-37005, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Maryna Golovchenko
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, CZ-37005, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Nataliia Rudenko
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, CZ-37005, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Libor Grubhoffer
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, CZ-37005, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 1760, CZ-37005, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
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20
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Eshghi A, Gaultney RA, England P, Brûlé S, Miras I, Sato H, Coburn J, Bellalou J, Moriarty TJ, Haouz A, Picardeau M. An extracellular Leptospira interrogans leucine-rich repeat protein binds human E- and VE-cadherins. Cell Microbiol 2018; 21:e12949. [PMID: 30171791 DOI: 10.1111/cmi.12949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2018] [Revised: 08/20/2018] [Accepted: 08/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Pathogenic Leptospira bacteria are the causative agents of leptospirosis, a zoonotic disease affecting animals and humans worldwide. These pathogenic species have the ability to rapidly cross host tissue barriers by a yet unknown mechanism. A comparative analysis of pathogens and saprophytes revealed a higher abundance of genes encoding proteins with leucine-rich repeat (LRR) domains in the genomes of pathogens. In other bacterial pathogens, proteins with LRR domains have been shown to be involved in mediating host cell attachment and invasion. One protein from the pathogenic species Leptospira interrogans, LIC10831, has been previously analysed via X-ray crystallography, with findings suggesting it may be an important bacterial adhesin. Herein we show that LIC10831 elicits an antibody response in infected animals, is actively secreted by the bacterium, and binds human E- and VE-cadherins. These results provide biochemical and cellular evidences of LRR protein-mediated host-pathogen interactions and identify a new multireceptor binding protein from this infectious Leptospira species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azad Eshghi
- Unité de Biologie des Spirochètes, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.,University of Victoria - Genome British Columbia Proteomics Centre, Vancouver Island Technology Park, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Patrick England
- Plate-forme de Biophysique Moléculaire, Institut Pasteur, CNRS-UMR 3528, Paris, France
| | - Sébastien Brûlé
- Plate-forme de Biophysique Moléculaire, Institut Pasteur, CNRS-UMR 3528, Paris, France
| | - Isabelle Miras
- Plate-forme de Cristallographie, Institut Pasteur, CNRS-UMR 3528, Paris, France
| | - Hiromi Sato
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Medicine (Division of Infectious Diseases), Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Jenifer Coburn
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Medicine (Division of Infectious Diseases), Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Jacques Bellalou
- Plate-forme de Protéines Recombinantes, Institut Pasteur, CNRS-UMR 3528, Paris, France
| | - Tara J Moriarty
- Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Faculty of Medicine (Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ahmed Haouz
- Plate-forme de Cristallographie, Institut Pasteur, CNRS-UMR 3528, Paris, France
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21
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Bernard Q, Thakur M, Smith AA, Kitsou C, Yang X, Pal U. Borrelia burgdorferi protein interactions critical for microbial persistence in mammals. Cell Microbiol 2018; 21:e12885. [PMID: 29934966 PMCID: PMC10082445 DOI: 10.1111/cmi.12885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2018] [Revised: 06/11/2018] [Accepted: 06/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Borrelia burgdorferi is the causative agent of Lyme disease that persists in a complex enzootic life cycle, involving Ixodes ticks and vertebrate hosts. The microbe invades ticks and vertebrate hosts in spite of active immune surveillance and potent microbicidal responses, and establishes long-term infection utilising mechanisms that are yet to be unravelled. The pathogen can cause multi-system disorders when transmitted to susceptible mammalian hosts, including in humans. In the past decades, several studies identified a limited number of B. burgdorferi gene-products critical for pathogen persistence, transmission between the vectors and the host, and host-pathogen interactions. This review will focus on the interactions between B. burgdorferi proteins, as well as between microbial proteins and host components, protein and non-protein components, highlighting their roles in pathogen persistence in the mammalian host. A better understanding of the contributions of protein interactions in the microbial virulence and persistence of B. burgdorferi would support development of novel therapeutics against the infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quentin Bernard
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Meghna Thakur
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Alexis A Smith
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Chrysoula Kitsou
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Xiuli Yang
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Utpal Pal
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
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22
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Williams SK, Weiner ZP, Gilmore RD. Human neuroglial cells internalize Borrelia burgdorferi by coiling phagocytosis mediated by Daam1. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0197413. [PMID: 29746581 PMCID: PMC5944952 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0197413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2018] [Accepted: 05/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of Lyme borreliosis, can elude hosts’ innate and adaptive immunity as part of the course of infection. The ability of B. burgdorferi to invade or be internalized by host cells in vitro has been proposed as a mechanism for the pathogen to evade immune responses or antimicrobials. We have previously shown that B. burgdorferi can be internalized by human neuroglial cells. In this study we demonstrate that these cells take up B. burgdorferi via coiling phagocytosis mediated by the formin, Daam1, a process similarly described for human macrophages. Following coincubation with glial cells, B. burgdorferi was enwrapped by Daam1-enriched coiling pseudopods. Coiling of B. burgdorferi was significantly reduced when neuroglial cells were pretreated with anti-Daam1 antibody indicating the requirement for Daam1 for borrelial phagocytosis. Confocal microscopy showed Daam1 colocalizing to the B. burgdorferi surface suggesting interaction with borrelial membrane protein(s). Using the yeast 2-hybrid system for identifying protein-protein binding, we found that the B. burgdorferi surface lipoprotein, BBA66, bound the FH2 subunit domain of Daam1. Recombinant proteins were used to validate binding by ELISA, pull-down, and co-immunoprecipitation. Evidence for native Daam1 and BBA66 interaction was suggested by colocalization of the proteins in the course of borrelial capture by the Daam1-enriched pseudopodia. Additionally, we found a striking reduction in coiling for a BBA66-deficient mutant strain compared to BBA66-expressing strains. These results show that coiling phagocytosis is a mechanism for borrelial internalization by neuroglial cells mediated by Daam1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanna K. Williams
- Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Zachary P. Weiner
- Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - 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, Colorado, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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23
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Plasticity in early immune evasion strategies of a bacterial pathogen. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:E3788-E3797. [PMID: 29610317 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1718595115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Borrelia burgdorferi is one of the few extracellular pathogens capable of establishing persistent infection in mammals. The mechanisms that sustain long-term survival of this bacterium are largely unknown. Here we report a unique innate immune evasion strategy of B. burgdorferi, orchestrated by a surface protein annotated as BBA57, through its modulation of multiple spirochete virulent determinants. BBA57 function is critical for early infection but largely redundant for later stages of spirochetal persistence, either in mammals or in ticks. The protein influences host IFN responses as well as suppresses multiple host microbicidal activities involving serum complement, neutrophils, and antimicrobial peptides. We also discovered a remarkable plasticity in BBA57-mediated spirochete immune evasion strategy because its loss, although resulting in near clearance of pathogens at the inoculum site, triggers nonheritable adaptive changes that exclude detectable nucleotide alterations in the genome but incorporate transcriptional reprograming events. Understanding the malleability in spirochetal immune evasion mechanisms that ensures their host persistence is critical for the development of novel therapeutic and preventive approaches to combat long-term infections like Lyme borreliosis.
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24
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The Borrelia burgdorferi Glycosaminoglycan Binding Protein Bgp in the B31 Strain Is Not Essential for Infectivity despite Facilitating Adherence and Tissue Colonization. Infect Immun 2018; 86:IAI.00667-17. [PMID: 29158428 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00667-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2017] [Accepted: 11/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The Lyme disease-causing organism Borrelia burgdorferi is transmitted into the mammalian host by an infected-tick bite. Successful infection relies on the ability of this extracellular pathogen to persist and colonize different tissues. B. burgdorferi encodes a large number of adhesins that are able to interact with host ligands to facilitate adherence and tissue colonization. Multiple glycosaminoglycan binding proteins present in B. burgdorferi offer a degree of redundancy of function during infection, and this highlights the importance of glycosaminoglycans as host cell receptors for spirochete adherence. Of particular interest in this study is Borrelia glycosaminoglycan binding protein (Bgp), which binds to heparin-related glycosaminoglycans. The properties of a bgp transposon mutant and a trans-complemented derivative were compared to those of the wild-type B. burgdorferi in the in vitro binding assays and in infection studies using a C3H/HeJ mouse infection model. We determined that the loss of Bgp impairs spirochete adherence, infectivity, and tissue colonization, resulting in a reduction of inflammatory manifestations of Lyme disease. Although Bgp is not essential for infectivity, it is an important virulence factor of B. burgdorferi that allows adherence and tissue colonization and contributes to disease severity.
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25
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Cabello FC, Godfrey HP, Bugrysheva J, Newman SA. Sleeper cells: the stringent response and persistence in the Borreliella (Borrelia) burgdorferi enzootic cycle. Environ Microbiol 2017; 19:3846-3862. [PMID: 28836724 PMCID: PMC5794220 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.13897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2017] [Revised: 08/12/2017] [Accepted: 08/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Infections with tick-transmitted Borreliella (Borrelia) burgdorferi, the cause of Lyme disease, represent an increasingly large public health problem in North America and Europe. The ability of these spirochetes to maintain themselves for extended periods of time in their tick vectors and vertebrate reservoirs is crucial for continuance of the enzootic cycle as well as for the increasing exposure of humans to them. The stringent response mediated by the alarmone (p)ppGpp has been determined to be a master regulator in B. burgdorferi. It modulates the expression of identified and unidentified open reading frames needed to deal with and overcome the many nutritional stresses and other challenges faced by the spirochete in ticks and animal reservoirs. The metabolic and morphologic changes resulting from activation of the stringent response in B. burgdorferi may also be involved in the recently described non-genetic phenotypic phenomenon of tolerance to otherwise lethal doses of antimicrobials and to other antimicrobial activities. It may thus constitute a linchpin in multiple aspects of infections with Lyme disease borrelia, providing a link between the micro-ecological challenges of its enzootic life-cycle and long-term residence in the tissues of its animal reservoirs, with the evolutionary side effect of potential persistence in incidental human hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felipe C. Cabello
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA
| | - Henry P. Godfrey
- Department of Pathology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA
| | - Julia Bugrysheva
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Stuart A. Newman
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA
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26
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Thakur M, Sharma K, Chao K, Smith AA, Herzberg O, Pal U. A protein-protein interaction dictates Borrelial infectivity. Sci Rep 2017; 7:2932. [PMID: 28592866 PMCID: PMC5462797 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-03279-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2016] [Accepted: 04/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Two Borrelia burgdorferi interacting proteins, BB0238 and BB0323, play distinct roles in pathogen biology and infectivity although a significance of their interaction remained enigmatic. Here we identified the polypeptide segment essential for BB0238-BB0323 interaction and examined how it supports spirochete infectivity. We show that the interaction region in BB0323 requires amino acid residues 22-200, suggesting that the binding encompasses discontinuous protein segments. In contrast, the interaction region in BB0238 spans only 11 amino acids, residues 120-130. A deletion of these 11 amino acids neither alters the overall secondary structure of the protein, nor affects its stability or oligomerization property, however, it reduces the post-translational stability of the binding partner, BB0323. Mutant B. burgdorferi isolates producing BB0238 lacking the 11-amino acid interaction region were able to persist in ticks but failed to transmit to mice or to establish infection. These results suggest that BB0238-BB0323 interaction is critical for post-translational stability of BB0323, and that this interaction is important for mammalian infectivity and transmission of B. burgdorferi. We show that saturation or inhibition of BB0238-BB0323 interaction could be studied in a luciferase assay, which could be amenable for future identification of small molecule inhibitors to combat B. burgdorferi infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghna Thakur
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland, College Park and Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Kavita Sharma
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland, College Park and Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Kinlin Chao
- Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, College Park, Rockville, USA
| | - Alexis A Smith
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland, College Park and Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Osnat Herzberg
- Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, College Park, Rockville, USA.,Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Utpal Pal
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland, College Park and Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, College Park, MD, USA.
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27
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Hyde JA. Borrelia burgdorferi Keeps Moving and Carries on: A Review of Borrelial Dissemination and Invasion. Front Immunol 2017; 8:114. [PMID: 28270812 PMCID: PMC5318424 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.00114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2016] [Accepted: 01/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Borrelia burgdorferi is the etiological agent of Lyme disease, a multisystemic, multistage, inflammatory infection resulting in patients experiencing cardiac, neurological, and arthritic complications when not treated with antibiotics shortly after exposure. The spirochetal bacterium transmits through the Ixodes vector colonizing the dermis of a mammalian host prior to hematogenous dissemination and invasion of distal tissues all the while combating the immune response as it traverses through its pathogenic lifecycle. The innate immune response controls the borrelial burden in the dermis, but is unable to clear the infection and thereby prevent progression of disease. Dissemination in the mammalian host requires temporal regulation of virulence determinants to allow for vascular interactions, invasion, and colonization of distal tissues. Virulence determinants and/or adhesins are highly heterogenetic among environmental B. burgdorferi strains with particular genotypes being associated with the ability to disseminate to specific tissues and the severity of disease, but fail to generate cross-protective immunity between borrelial strains. The unique motility of B. burgdorferi rendered by the endoflagella serves a vital function for dissemination and protection from immune recognition. Progress has been made toward understanding the chemotactic regulation coordinating the activity of the two polar localized flagellar motors and their role in borrelial virulence, but this regulation is not yet fully understood. Distinct states of motility allow for dynamic interactions between several B. burgdorferi adhesins and host targets that play roles in transendothelial migration. Transmigration across endothelial and blood-brain barriers allows for the invasion of tissues and elicits localized immune responses. The invasive nature of B. burgdorferi is lacking in proactive mechanisms to modulate disease, such as secretion systems and toxins, but recent work has shown degradation of host extracellular matrices by B. burgdorferi contributes to the invasive capabilities of the pathogen. Additionally, B. burgdorferi may use invasion of eukaryotic cells for immune evasion and protection against environmental stresses. This review provides an overview of B. burgdorferi mechanisms for dissemination and invasion in the mammalian host, which are essential for pathogenesis and the development of persistent infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny A Hyde
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, College of Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center , Bryan, TX , USA
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28
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Tracy KE, Baumgarth N. Borrelia burgdorferi Manipulates Innate and Adaptive Immunity to Establish Persistence in Rodent Reservoir Hosts. Front Immunol 2017; 8:116. [PMID: 28265270 PMCID: PMC5316537 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.00116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2016] [Accepted: 01/25/2017] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato species complex is capable of establishing persistent infections in a wide variety of species, particularly rodents. Infection is asymptomatic or mild in most reservoir host species, indicating successful co-evolution of the pathogen with its natural hosts. However, infected humans and other incidental hosts can develop Lyme disease, a serious inflammatory syndrome characterized by tissue inflammation of joints, heart, muscles, skin, and CNS. Although B. burgdorferi infection induces both innate and adaptive immune responses, they are ultimately ineffective in clearing the infection from reservoir hosts, leading to bacterial persistence. Here, we review some mechanisms by which B. burgdorferi evades the immune system of the rodent host, focusing in particular on the effects of innate immune mechanisms and recent findings suggesting that T-dependent B cell responses are subverted during infection. A better understanding of the mechanisms causing persistence in rodents may help to increase our understanding of the pathogenesis of Lyme disease and ultimately aid in the development of therapies that support effective clearance of the bacterial infection by the host’s immune system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen E Tracy
- Graduate Group in Immunology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA; Center for Comparative Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Nicole Baumgarth
- Graduate Group in Immunology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA; Center for Comparative Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA; Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
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29
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Casselli T, Qureshi H, Peterson E, Perley D, Blake E, Jokinen B, Abbas A, Nechaev S, Watt JA, Dhasarathy A, Brissette CA. MicroRNA and mRNA Transcriptome Profiling in Primary Human Astrocytes Infected with Borrelia burgdorferi. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0170961. [PMID: 28135303 PMCID: PMC5279786 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0170961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2016] [Accepted: 01/14/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Lyme disease is caused by infection with the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb), which is transmitted to humans by deer ticks. The infection manifests usually as a rash and minor systemic symptoms; however, the bacteria can spread to other tissues, causing joint pain, carditis, and neurological symptoms. Lyme neuroborreliosis presents itself in several ways, such as Bell's palsy, meningitis, and encephalitis. The molecular basis for neuroborreliosis is poorly understood. Analysis of the changes in the expression levels of messenger RNAs and non-coding RNAs, including microRNAs, following Bb infection could therefore provide vital information on the pathogenesis and clinical symptoms of neuroborreliosis. To this end, we used cultured primary human astrocytes, key responders to CNS infection and important components of the blood-brain barrier, as a model system to study RNA and microRNA changes in the CNS caused by Bb. Using whole transcriptome RNA-seq, we found significant changes in 38 microRNAs and 275 mRNAs at 24 and 48 hours following Bb infection. Several of the RNA changes affect pathways involved in immune response, development, chromatin assembly (including histones) and cell adhesion. Further, several of the microRNA predicted target mRNAs were also differentially regulated. Overall, our results indicate that exposure to Bb causes significant changes to the transcriptome and microRNA profile of astrocytes, which has implications in the pathogenesis, and hence potential treatment strategies to combat this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy Casselli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, ND, United States of America
| | - Humaira Qureshi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, ND, United States of America
| | - Elizabeth Peterson
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, ND, United States of America
| | - Danielle Perley
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, ND, United States of America
| | - Emily Blake
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, ND, United States of America
| | - Bradley Jokinen
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, ND, United States of America
| | - Ata Abbas
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, ND, United States of America
| | - Sergei Nechaev
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, ND, United States of America
| | - John A. Watt
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, ND, United States of America
| | - Archana Dhasarathy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, ND, United States of America
| | - Catherine A. Brissette
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, ND, United States of America
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30
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Regulation of Gene and Protein Expression in the Lyme Disease Spirochete. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol 2017; 415:83-112. [PMID: 29064060 DOI: 10.1007/82_2017_49] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The infectious cycle of Borrelia burgdorferi necessitates persistent infection of both vertebrates and ticks, and efficient means of transmission between those two very different types of hosts. The Lyme disease spirochete has evolved mechanisms to sense its location in the infectious cycle, and use that information to control production of the proteins and other factors required for each step. Numerous components of borrelial regulatory pathways have been characterized to date. Their effects are being pieced together, thereby providing glimpses into a complex web of cooperative and antagonistic interactions. In this chapter, we present a broad overview of B. burgdorferi gene and protein regulation during the natural infectious cycle, discussions of culture-based methods for elucidating regulatory mechanisms, and summaries of many of the known regulatory proteins and small molecules. We also highlight areas that are in need of substantially more research.
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31
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Abstract
Lyme borreliosis is a tick-borne disease that predominantly occurs in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere and is primarily caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi in North America and Borrelia afzelii or Borrelia garinii in Europe and Asia. Infection usually begins with an expanding skin lesion, known as erythema migrans (referred to as stage 1), which, if untreated, can be followed by early disseminated infection, particularly neurological abnormalities (stage 2), and by late infection, especially arthritis in North America or acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans in Europe (stage 3). However, the disease can present with any of these manifestations. During infection, the bacteria migrate through the host tissues, adhere to certain cells and can evade immune clearance. Yet, these organisms are eventually killed by both innate and adaptive immune responses and most inflammatory manifestations of the infection resolve. Except for patients with erythema migrans, Lyme borreliosis is diagnosed based on a characteristic clinical constellation of signs and symptoms with serological confirmation of infection. All manifestations of the infection can usually be treated with appropriate antibiotic regimens, but the disease can be followed by post-infectious sequelae in some patients. Prevention of Lyme borreliosis primarily involves the avoidance of tick bites by personal protective measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allen C Steere
- Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases, Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Franc Strle
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University Medical Center Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Gary P Wormser
- Division of Infectious Diseases, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, USA
| | - Linden T Hu
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - John A Branda
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Joppe W R Hovius
- Center for Experimental and Molecular Medicine, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Xin Li
- Division of Geographic Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Paul S Mead
- Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
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32
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Muehlenbachs A, Bollweg BC, Schulz TJ, Forrester JD, DeLeon Carnes M, Molins C, Ray GS, Cummings PM, Ritter JM, Blau DM, Andrew TA, Prial M, Ng DL, Prahlow JA, Sanders JH, Shieh WJ, Paddock CD, Schriefer ME, Mead P, Zaki SR. Cardiac Tropism of Borrelia burgdorferi: An Autopsy Study of Sudden Cardiac Death Associated with Lyme Carditis. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY 2016; 186:1195-205. [PMID: 26968341 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2015.12.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2015] [Revised: 11/23/2015] [Accepted: 12/15/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Fatal Lyme carditis caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi rarely is identified. Here, we describe the pathologic, immunohistochemical, and molecular findings of five case patients. These sudden cardiac deaths associated with Lyme carditis occurred from late summer to fall, ages ranged from young adult to late 40s, and four patients were men. Autopsy tissue samples were evaluated by light microscopy, Warthin-Starry stain, immunohistochemistry, and PCR for B. burgdorferi, and immunohistochemistry for complement components C4d and C9, CD3, CD79a, and decorin. Post-mortem blood was tested by serology. Interstitial lymphocytic pancarditis in a relatively characteristic road map distribution was present in all cases. Cardiomyocyte necrosis was minimal, T cells outnumbered B cells, plasma cells were prominent, and mild fibrosis was present. Spirochetes in the cardiac interstitium associated with collagen fibers and co-localized with decorin. Rare spirochetes were seen in the leptomeninges of two cases by immunohistochemistry. Spirochetes were not seen in other organs examined, and joint tissue was not available for evaluation. Although rare, sudden cardiac death caused by Lyme disease might be an under-recognized entity and is characterized by pancarditis and marked tropism of spirochetes for cardiac tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atis Muehlenbachs
- Infectious Diseases Pathology Branch, Division of High Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
| | - Brigid C Bollweg
- Infectious Diseases Pathology Branch, Division of High Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
| | | | - Joseph D Forrester
- Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector Borne Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ft. Collins, Colorado
| | - Marlene DeLeon Carnes
- Infectious Diseases Pathology Branch, Division of High Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Claudia Molins
- Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector Borne Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ft. Collins, Colorado
| | | | | | - Jana M Ritter
- Infectious Diseases Pathology Branch, Division of High Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Dianna M Blau
- Infectious Diseases Pathology Branch, Division of High Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Thomas A Andrew
- Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Concord, New Hampshire
| | | | - Dianna L Ng
- Infectious Diseases Pathology Branch, Division of High Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Joseph A Prahlow
- The Medical Foundation, South Bend, Indiana; Indiana University School of Medicine-South Bend, South Bend, Indiana
| | - Jeanine H Sanders
- Infectious Diseases Pathology Branch, Division of High Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Wun Ju Shieh
- Infectious Diseases Pathology Branch, Division of High Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Christopher D Paddock
- Rickettsial Zoonotic Diseases Branch, Division of Vector Borne Infectious Diseases, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Martin E Schriefer
- Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector Borne Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ft. Collins, Colorado
| | - Paul Mead
- Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector Borne Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ft. Collins, Colorado
| | - Sherif R Zaki
- Infectious Diseases Pathology Branch, Division of High Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
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Salo J, Pietikäinen A, Söderström M, Auvinen K, Salmi M, Ebady R, Moriarty TJ, Viljanen MK, Hytönen J. Flow-Tolerant Adhesion of a Bacterial Pathogen to Human Endothelial Cells Through Interaction With Biglycan. J Infect Dis 2016; 213:1623-31. [DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiw003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2015] [Accepted: 12/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Intravital Imaging of Vascular Transmigration by the Lyme Spirochete: Requirement for the Integrin Binding Residues of the B. burgdorferi P66 Protein. PLoS Pathog 2015; 11:e1005333. [PMID: 26684456 PMCID: PMC4686178 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1005333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2014] [Accepted: 11/17/2015] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Vascular extravasation, a key step in systemic infection by hematogenous microbial pathogens, is poorly understood, but has been postulated to encompass features similar to vascular transmigration by leukocytes. The Lyme disease spirochete can cause a variety of clinical manifestations, including arthritis, upon hematogenous dissemination. This pathogen encodes numerous surface adhesive proteins (adhesins) that may promote extravasation, but none have yet been implicated in this process. In this work we report the novel use of intravital microscopy of the peripheral knee vasculature to study transmigration of the Lyme spirochete in living Cd1d-/-mice. In the absence of iNKT cells, major immune modulators in the mouse joint, spirochetes that have extravasated into joint-proximal tissue remain in the local milieu and can be enumerated accurately. We show that BBK32, a fibronectin and glycosaminoglycan adhesin of B. burgdorferi involved in early steps of endothelial adhesion, is not required for extravasation from the peripheral knee vasculature. In contrast, almost no transmigration occurs in the absence of P66, an outer membrane protein that has porin and integrin adhesin functions. Importantly, P66 mutants specifically defective in integrin binding were incapable of promoting extravasation. P66 itself does not promote detectable microvascular interactions, suggesting that vascular adhesion of B. burgdorferi mediated by other adhesins, sets the stage for P66-integrin interactions leading to transmigration. Although integrin-binding proteins with diverse functions are encoded by a variety of bacterial pathogens, P66 is the first to have a documented and direct role in vascular transmigration. The emerging picture of vascular escape by the Lyme spirochete shows similarities, but distinct differences from leukocyte transmigration. Lyme disease is the most common vector-transmitted infection in North America and Europe. Diverse clinical manifestations of Lyme disease result from the dissemination of the spirochetes causing the disease into a variety of tissue sites. Dissemination results from invasion of the vasculature by the bacteria, followed by exit into virtually all tissue types. The mechanism of vascular transmigration by Lyme disease spirochetes remains uncharacterized. Here we describe a novel approach to study transmigration of Lyme disease spirochetes using intravital microscopy of the peripheral knee vasculature in living mice. Our studies have identified an adhesin, P66, and its integrin-binding function as playing important roles in Lyme spirochete transmigration and dissemination.
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Drecktrah D, Lybecker M, Popitsch N, Rescheneder P, Hall LS, Samuels DS. The Borrelia burgdorferi RelA/SpoT Homolog and Stringent Response Regulate Survival in the Tick Vector and Global Gene Expression during Starvation. PLoS Pathog 2015; 11:e1005160. [PMID: 26371761 PMCID: PMC4570706 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1005160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2015] [Accepted: 08/21/2015] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
As the Lyme disease bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi traverses its enzootic cycle, alternating between a tick vector and a vertebrate host, the spirochete must adapt and persist in the tick midgut under prolonged nutrient stress between blood meals. In this study, we examined the role of the stringent response in tick persistence and in regulation of gene expression during nutrient limitation. Nutritionally starving B. burgdorferi in vitro increased the levels of guanosine tetraphosphate (ppGpp) and guanosine pentaphosphate (pppGpp), collectively referred to as (p)ppGpp, products of the bifunctional synthetase/hydrolase RelBbu (RelA/SpoT homolog). Conversely, returning B. burgdorferi to a nutrient-rich medium decreased (p)ppGpp levels. B. burgdorferi survival in ticks between the larval and nymph blood meals, and during starvation in vitro, was dependent on RelBbu. Furthermore, normal morphological conversion from a flat-wave shape to a condensed round body (RB) form during starvation was dependent on RelBbu; relBbu mutants more frequently formed RBs, but their membranes were compromised. By differential RNA sequencing analyses, we found that RelBbu regulates an extensive transcriptome, both dependent and independent of nutrient stress. The RelBbu regulon includes the glp operon, which is important for glycerol utilization and persistence in the tick, virulence factors and the late phage operon of the 32-kb circular plasmid (cp32) family. In summary, our data suggest that RelBbu globally modulates transcription in response to nutrient stress by increasing (p)ppGpp levels to facilitate B. burgdorferi persistence in the tick.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Drecktrah
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, United States of America
| | - Meghan Lybecker
- Department of Biology, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States of America
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Max F. Perutz Laboratories, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Niko Popitsch
- Oxford NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Center for Integrative Bioinformatics Vienna, Max F. Perutz Laboratories, University of Vienna & Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Philipp Rescheneder
- Center for Integrative Bioinformatics Vienna, Max F. Perutz Laboratories, University of Vienna & Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Laura S. Hall
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, 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
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Abstract
In North America, Lyme disease (LD) is a tick-borne zoonosis caused by the spirochete bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, which is maintained by wildlife. Tick vectors and bacteria are currently spreading into Canada and causing increasing numbers of cases of LD in humans and raising a pressing need for public health responses. There is no vaccine, and LD prevention depends on knowing who is at risk and informing them how to protect themselves from infection. Recently, it was found in the United States that some strains of B. burgdorferi sensu stricto cause severe disease, whereas others cause mild, self-limiting disease. While many strains occurring in the United States also occur in Canada, strains in some parts of Canada are different from those in the United States. We therefore recognize a need to identify which strains specific to Canada can cause severe disease and to characterize their geographic distribution to determine which Canadians are particularly at risk. In this review, we summarize the history of emergence of LD in North America, our current knowledge of B. burgdorferi sensu stricto diversity, its intriguing origins in the ecology and evolution of the bacterium, and its importance for the epidemiology and clinical and laboratory diagnosis of LD. We propose methods for investigating associations between B. burgdorferi sensu stricto diversity, ecology, and pathogenicity and for developing predictive tools to guide public health interventions. We also highlight the emergence of B. burgdorferi sensu stricto in Canada as a unique opportunity for exploring the evolutionary aspects of tick-borne pathogen emergence.
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Feng W, Wang X. Structure of decorin binding protein B from Borrelia burgdorferi and its interactions with glycosaminoglycans. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2015; 1854:1823-1832. [PMID: 26275806 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2015.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2015] [Revised: 07/28/2015] [Accepted: 08/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Decorin-binding proteins (DBPs), DBPA and DBPB, are surface lipoproteins on Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease. DBPs bind to the connective tissue proteoglycan decorin and facilitate tissue colonization by the bacterium. Although structural and biochemical properties of DBPA are well understood, little is known about DBPB. In current work, we determined the solution structure of DBPB from strain B31 of B. burgdorferi and characterized its interactions with glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). Our structure shows that DBPB adopts the same topology as DBPA, but possesses a much shorter terminal helix, resulting in a longer unstructured C-terminal tail, which is also rich in basic amino acids. Characterization of DBPB-GAG interactions reveals that, despite similar GAG affinities of DBPA and DBPB, the primary GAG-binding sites in DBPB are different from DBPA. In particular, our results indicate that lysines in the C-terminus of DBPB are vital to DBPB's ability to bind GAGs whereas C-terminal tail for DBPA from strain B31 only plays a minor role in facilitating GAG bindings. Furthermore, the traditional GAG-binding pocket important to DBPA-GAG interactions is only secondary to DBPB's GAG-binding ability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Feng
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Xu Wang
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.
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Borrelia burgdorferi RevA Significantly Affects Pathogenicity and Host Response in the Mouse Model of Lyme Disease. Infect Immun 2015; 83:3675-83. [PMID: 26150536 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00530-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2015] [Accepted: 06/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, expresses RevA and numerous outer surface lipoproteins during mammalian infection. As an adhesin that promotes bacterial interaction with fibronectin, RevA is poised to interact with the extracellular matrix of the host. To further define the role(s) of RevA during mammalian infection, we created a mutant that is unable to produce RevA. The mutant was still infectious to mice, although it was significantly less well able to infect cardiac tissues. Complementation of the mutant with a wild-type revA gene restored heart infectivity to wild-type levels. Additionally, revA mutants led to increased evidence of arthritis, with increased fibrotic collagen deposition in tibiotarsal joints. The mutants also induced increased levels of the chemokine CCL2, a monocyte chemoattractant, in serum, and this increase was abolished in the complemented strain. Therefore, while revA is not absolutely essential for infection, deletion of revA had distinct effects on dissemination, arthritis severity, and host response.
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A short-term Borrelia burgdorferi infection model identifies tissue tropisms and bloodstream survival conferred by adhesion proteins. Infect Immun 2015; 83:3184-94. [PMID: 26015482 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00349-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2015] [Accepted: 05/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease in the United States, is able to persist in the joint, heart, skin, and central nervous system for the lifetime of its mammalian host. Borrelia species achieve dissemination to distal sites in part by entry into and travel within the bloodstream. Much work has been performed in vitro describing the roles of many B. burgdorferi outer surface proteins in adhesion to host cell surface proteins and extracellular matrix components, although the biological relevance of these interactions is only beginning to be explored in vivo. A need exists in the field for an in vivo model to define the biological roles of B. burgdorferi adhesins in tissue-specific vascular interactions. We have developed an in vivo model of vascular interaction of B. burgdorferi in which the bacteria are injected intravenously and allowed to circulate for 1 h. This model has shown that the fibronectin binding protein BB0347 has a tropism for joint tissue. We also have shown an importance of the integrin binding protein, P66, in binding to vasculature of the ear and heart. This model also revealed unexpected roles for Borrelia adhesins BBK32 and OspC in bacterial burdens in the bloodstream. The intravenous inoculation model of short-term infection provides new insights into critical B. burgdorferi interactions with the host required for initial survival and tissue colonization.
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Structural mechanisms underlying sequence-dependent variations in GAG affinities of decorin binding protein A, a Borrelia burgdorferi adhesin. Biochem J 2015; 467:439-51. [DOI: 10.1042/bj20141201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Decorin-binding protein A (DBPA) is an important surface adhesin of the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease. DBPA facilitates the bacteria's colonization of human tissue by adhering to glycosaminoglycan (GAG), a sulfated polysaccharide. Interestingly, DBPA sequence variation among different strains of Borrelia spirochetes is high, resulting in significant differences in their GAG affinities. However, the structural mechanisms contributing to these differences are unknown. We determined the solution structures of DBPAs from strain N40 of B. burgdorferi and strain PBr of Borrelia garinii, two DBPA variants whose GAG affinities deviate significantly from strain B31, the best characterized version of DBPA. Our structures revealed that significant differences exist between PBr DBPA and B31/N40 DBPAs. In particular, the C-terminus of PBr DBPA, unlike C-termini from B31 and N40 DBPAs, is positioned away from the GAG-binding pocket and the linker between helices one and two of PBr DBPA is highly structured and retracted from the GAG-binding pocket. The repositioning of the C-terminus allowed the formation of an extra GAG-binding epitope in PBr DBPA and the retracted linker gave GAG ligands more access to the GAG-binding epitopes than other DBPAs. Characterization of GAG ligands' interactions with wild-type (WT) PBr and mutants confirmed the importance of the second major GAG-binding epitope and established the fact that the two epitopes are independent of one another and the new epitope is as important to GAG binding as the traditional epitope.
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Petnicki-Ocwieja T, Brissette CA. Lyme disease: recent advances and perspectives. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2015; 5:27. [PMID: 25883907 PMCID: PMC4381694 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2015.00027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2015] [Accepted: 03/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Tanja Petnicki-Ocwieja
- Division of Geographic Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Tufts Medical Center Boston, MA, USA
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Wood S. Increased DNA Yield Following Enzymatic Release of Borrelia from a Collagen Matrix in Culture. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015. [DOI: 10.15406/jmen.2015.02.00037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Zhi H, Weening EH, Barbu EM, Hyde JA, Höök M, Skare JT. The BBA33 lipoprotein binds collagen and impacts Borrelia burgdorferi pathogenesis. Mol Microbiol 2015; 96:68-83. [PMID: 25560615 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.12921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/03/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Borrelia burgdorferi, the etiologic agent of Lyme disease, adapts to the mammalian hosts by differentially expressing several genes in the BosR and Rrp2-RpoN-RpoS dependent pathways, resulting in a distinct protein profile relative to that seen for survival in the Ixodes spp. tick. Previous studies indicate that a putative lipoprotein, BBA33, is produced in an RpoS-dependent manner under conditions that mimic the mammalian component of the borrelial lifecycle. However, the significance and function for BBA33 is not known. Given its linkage to the BosR/Rrp2-RpoN-RpoS regulatory cascade, we hypothesized that BBA33 facilitates B. burgdorferi infection in the mammalian host. The deletion of bba33 eliminated B. burgdorferi infectivity in C3H mice, which was rescued by genetic complementation with intact bba33. With regard to function, a combinatorial peptide approach, coupled with subsequent in vitro binding assays, indicated that BBA33 binds to collagen type VI and, to a lesser extent, collagen type IV. Whole cell binding assays demonstrated BBA33-dependent binding to human collagen type VI. Taken together, these results suggest that BBA33 interacts with collagenous structures and may function as an adhesin in a process that is required to prevent bacterial clearance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Zhi
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, College of Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, 77807, USA
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