| Autor: |
Miller, Jennifer C., von Lackum, Kate, Babb, Kelly, McAlister, Jason D., Stevenson, Brian |
| Zdroj: |
Infection and Immunity; December 2003, Vol. 71 Issue: 12 p6943-6952, 10p |
| Abstrakt: |
ABSTRACTPrevious immunological studies indicated that the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, expresses Erp outer surface proteins during mammalian infection. We conducted analyses of Erp expression throughout the entire tick-mammal infectious cycle, which revealed that the bacteria regulate Erp production in vivo. Bacteria within unfed nymphal ticks expressed little to no Erp proteins. However, as infected ticks fed on mice, B. burgdorferiincreased production of Erp proteins, with essentially all transmitted bacteria expressing these proteins. Mice infected with B. burgdorferimounted rapid IgM responses to all tested Erp proteins, followed by strong immunoglobulin G responses that generally increased in intensity throughout 11 months of infection, suggesting continued exposure of Erp proteins to the host immune system throughout chronic infection. As naive tick larvae acquired B. burgdorferiby feeding on infected mice, essentially all transmitted bacteria produced Erp proteins, also suggestive of continual Erp expression during mammalian infection. Shortly after the larvae acquired bacteria, Erp production was drastically downregulated. The expression of Erp proteins on B. burgdorferithroughout mammalian infection is consistent with their hypothesized function as factor H-binding proteins that protect the bacteria from host innate immune responses. |
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