POPULATION BIOLOGY OF BORRELIA BURGDORFERI

使用任意引物PCR（AP-PCR）的基因组指纹图谱，我们 表明伯氏疏螺旋体实际上是由 至少有三个不同的系统群，它们的分歧程度 通过几个标准接近于不同物种（Welsh等人， 1992年）。 AP-PCR作为系统发育工具的有效性已经被证实。 多位点酶电泳（Multilocus enzyme electrophoresis，简称MUG）和其他 方法，正如我们将展示的那样。 在这里，我们建议应用基因组 指纹识别和其他方法来解决在 B. burgdorferi。首先，我们将比较 使用AP-PCR与ECOR集合的PCR进行系统发育分析。 我们 将改善遗传距离之间的相关性， 使用此数据的AP-PCR。 其次，我们将继续探索数字 以及B不同系统群的分布。burgdorferi，期待 揭示不同的物种或亚种，并大致概述了 人口的遗传结构。 在这部分研究中，我们将 确定螺旋体的种内遗传是否与 与北美的区域地理，正如已经证明的那样 对于B。Burgdorferi在欧亚大陆 我们还将比较I组B。 两个大陆的burgdorferi，以确定遗传关系 两个人群之间。 第三，我们将确定是否B。burgdorferi 来自不同的系统群有不同的首选宿主，包括 人类 第四，我们将寻找自然发生的遗传证据。 B菌株间的重组。通过比较DNA序列 信息和构建基因树。 第五，我们将寻求证据 对于质粒在不同分支之间的水平运动， 系统发育树，AP-PCR同源性分析，质粒比较 图谱和Southern印迹。

Using genomic fingerprinting by arbitrarily primed PCR (AP-PCR), we have shown that the species Borrelia burgdorferi is actually comprised of at least three distinct phyletic groups, whose level of divergence approaches that of distinct species by several criteria (Welsh et al., 1992). The validity of AP-PCR as a phylogenetic tool has been corroborated by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis (MEE) and other methods, as we will demonstrate. Here, we propose to apply genomic fingerprinting and other methods to resolve several questions in the population genetics of B. burgdorferi. First, we will compare phylogenetic analysis using AP-PCR with MEE for the ECOR collection. We will refine the correlation between genetic distances measured by MEE and AP-PCR using this data. Second, we will continue to explore the number and distribution of distinct phyletic groups of B. burgdorferi, expecting to reveal distinct species or subspecies, and generally outline the genetic structure of the population. In this part of the study, we will determine whether the intraspecies phylogeny of the spirochete correlates with regional geographics within North America, as has been demonstrated for B. burgdorferi in Eurasia. We will also compare Group I B. burgdorferi from both continents, to determine the genetic relationship between the two populations. Third, we will determine if B. burgdorferi from different phyletic groups have different preferred hosts, including human. Fourth, we will seek evidence of naturally occurring genetic recombination between strains of B. burgdorferi by comparing DNA sequence information and constructing gene trees. Fifth, we will seek evidence for the horizontal movement of plasmids between different branches of the phylogenetic tree, using AP-PCR homoplasy, comparisons of plasmid profiles and Southern blotting.