Development of genetic system to inactivate a Borrelia turicatae surface protein selectively produced within the salivary glands of the arthropod vector.
PLoS Negl Trop Dis
; 7(10): e2514, 2013.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-24205425
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Borrelia turicatae, an agent of tick-borne relapsing fever, is an example of a pathogen that can adapt to disparate conditions found when colonizing the mammalian host and arthropod vector. However, little is known about the genetic factors necessary during the tick-mammalian infectious cycle, therefore we developed a genetic system to transform this species of spirochete. We also identified a plasmid gene that was up-regulated in vitro when B. turicatae was grown in conditions mimicking the tick environment. This 40 kilodalton protein was predicted to be surface localized and designated the Borrelia repeat protein A (brpA) due to the redundancy of the amino acid motif Gln-Gly-Asn-Val-Glu. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPALFINDINGS:
Quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction using RNA from B. turicatae infected ticks and mice indicated differential regulation of brpA during the tick-mammalian infectious cycle. The surface localization was determined, and production of the protein within the salivary glands of the tick was demonstrated. We then applied a novel genetic system for B. turicatae to inactivate brpA and examined the role of the gene product for vector colonization and the ability to establish murine infection. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE:
These results demonstrate the complexity of protein production in a population of spirochetes within the tick. Additionally, the development of a genetic system is important for future studies to evaluate the requirement of specific B. turicatae genes for vector colonization and transmission.
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Carrapatos
/
Proteínas de Bactérias
/
Borrelia
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Interações Hospedeiro-Patógeno
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Técnicas de Inativação de Genes
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2013
Tipo de documento:
Article