Bdr proteins and Borrelia pathogenesis

虽然有证据表明质粒编码的蛋白质是理解疏螺旋体感染中宿主-病原体相互作用的关键，但这些蛋白质中的大多数的功能仍然不确定。 由于质粒携带的基因在很大程度上是疏螺旋体所特有的，因此它们可能是理解疏螺旋体生物学和发病机制的独特属性的关键。 bdr基因家族是一个大的、多态性的、质粒携带的基因家族，由该属的所有物种携带和表达。 在伯氏疏螺旋体B31 MI中，基因家族包含分布在线性和环状质粒中的18个成员。 我们已经证明，BDR蛋白被组织成不同的亚家族，与内膜，并在响应于环境条件的差异表达。 在本申请中，我们提出了一种策略，用于定义在不同的环境中的BDR蛋白的表达模式，阐明其调节所涉及的机制，并用于测试BDR基因失活对疏螺旋体发病机制的影响。

While evidence suggests that plasmid encoded proteins are key in understanding the host-pathogen interaction in Borrelia infections, the functions for most of these proteins remain undefined. Since the plasmid carried genes are largely unique to the Borrelia, it is likely that they hold the key to understanding the unique attributes of Borrelia biology and pathogenesis. The bdr gene family is a large, polymorphic, plasmid carried gene family carried and expressed by all species of the genus. In Borrelia burgdorferi B31MI the gene family contains 18 members distributed among the linear and circular plasmids. We have demonstrated that the Bdr proteins are organized into distinct sub-families, are associated with the inner membrane, and are differentially expressed in response to environmental conditions. In this application we present a strategy for defining the expression patterns of the Bdr proteins in different environments, elucidating the mechanisms involved in their regulation, and for testing the effects of Bdr gene inactivation on Borrelia pathogenesis.