The Roles of RpoS and the Borrelia Oxidative Stress Regulator, BosR, in the Transmission of Relapsing Fever Spirochetes

在2014财政年度，我们启动了一个关于复发热螺旋体（疏螺旋体）的项目。在T博士退休后，Schwan博士，我们已经启动了一个项目，继续他在理解B中关键毒力因子调控方面的工作。赫姆斯。而B. hermsii具有编码与B相同的调节蛋白的基因。Burgdorferi（即，RpoN、RpoS、RpoD和BosR），但细菌对环境信号（如温度）的反应是显著不同的。 B中基因调控的标志。burgdorferi是RpoN/RpoS监管网络。该调节级联协调B成功传播所需的毒力因子的表达。burgdorferi。然而，在北美分离的回归热螺旋体的所有菌株不具有功能性RpoN，这表明RpoN/RpoS调节级联在B中不存在。赫姆斯。因此，我们最初的重点是开发必要的生化和遗传工具来研究已知毒力因子的RpoS、RpoD和BosR依赖性基因调控（即，Vmp和Vtp）。

During FY 2014, we have started a project on the relapse fever spirochete, Borrelia hermsii. Since the retirement of Dr. T. Schwan, we have initiated a project to continue his work in understanding the regulation of key virulence factors in B. hermsii. While B. hermsii has the genes encoding the same regulatory proteins as B. burgdorferi (i.e., RpoN, RpoS, RpoD and BosR), the responses of the bacterium to environmental signals, such as temperature, are dramatically different. A hallmark of gene regulation in B. burgdorferi is the RpoN/RpoS regulatory network. This regulatory cascade coordinates the expression of virulence factors required for the successful transmission of B. burgdorferi. However, all strains of relapsing fever spirochetes isolated in North America do not harbor a functional RpoN, suggesting that the RpoN/RpoS regulatory cascade does not exsist in B. hermsii. Therefore, our initial focus has been on developing the necessary biochemical and genetic tools to study the RpoS-, RpoD- and BosR-dependent gene regulation of known virulence factors (i.e., Vmp and Vtp) in B.hersmii.