Abstract
Borrelia burgdorferi can encode numerous lipoproteins of the Erp family. Although initially described as outer surface proteins, the technique used in that earlier study has since been demonstrated to disrupt bacterial membranes and allow labelling of subsurface proteins. Data are now presented from additional analyses indicating that Erp proteins are indeed surface exposed in the outer membrane. Surface localization of these infection-associated proteins indicates the potential for interactions of Erp proteins with vertebrate tissues. Some Erp proteins were resistant to in situ digestion by certain proteases, suggesting that those proteins fold in manners which hide protease cleavage sites, or that they interact with other protective membrane components. Additionally, cultivation of B. burgdorferi in the presence of antibodies directed against Erp proteins inhibited bacterial growth.
MeSH Terms
Animals
Antigens, Bacterial/metabolism
Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins/metabolism
Bacterial Proteins/immunology,metabolism
Borrelia burgdorferi Group/growth & development,metabolism
Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel
Endopeptidase K/metabolism
Fluorescent Antibody Technique
Immune Sera/biosynthesis,pharmacology
Immunoblotting
Immunohistochemistry
Lipoproteins/metabolism
Membrane Proteins/immunology,metabolism
Mice
Mice, Inbred BALB C
Chemicals
Antigens, Bacterial
Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins
Bacterial Proteins
ERP protein, Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Immune Sera
Lipoproteins
Membrane Proteins
OspE protein, Borrelia burgdorferi
OspF protein, Borrelia burgdorferi
Endopeptidase K
Authors & Affiliations
9 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
El-Hage Nazira
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, MS 415 Chandler Medical Center, Lexington, KY 40536-0298, USA1.
Babb Kelly
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, MS 415 Chandler Medical Center, Lexington, KY 40536-0298, USA1.
Carroll James A
Microscopy Branch, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, NIAID, National Institutes of Health, 903 South 4th St, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA2.
Lindstrom Nicole
Microscopy Branch, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, NIAID, National Institutes of Health, 903 South 4th St, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA2.
Fischer Elizabeth R
Microscopy Branch, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, NIAID, National Institutes of Health, 903 South 4th St, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA2.
Miller Jennifer C
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, MS 415 Chandler Medical Center, Lexington, KY 40536-0298, USA1.
Gilmore Robert D
Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, PO Box 2087, Foothills Campus, Fort Collins, CO 80522, USA3.
Mbow M Lamine
Department of Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1671, USA4.
Stevenson Brian
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, MS 415 Chandler Medical Center, Lexington, KY 40536-0298, USA1.
