Bdr proteins and Borrelia pathogenesis

虽然有证据表明，质粒编码的蛋白质是理解伯氏疏螺旋体感染中宿主-病原体相互作用的关键，但大多数这些蛋白质的功能仍不明确。由于质粒携带的基因在很大程度上是伯氏疏螺旋体所特有的，因此它们很可能是了解伯氏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，多态的，质粒携带的基因家族，所有物种都携带和表达。伯氏疏螺旋体B31MI基因家族包含18个成员，分布在线性和圆形质粒中。我们已经证明，Bdr蛋白被组织成不同的亚家族，与内膜有关，并在响应环境条件时差异表达。在本应用中，我们提出了一种策略来定义Bdr蛋白在不同环境中的表达模式，阐明其调控机制，并测试Bdr基因失活对伯氏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.