Antibodies to OspB prevent infection of C3H mice challenged with Borrelia burgdorferi isolates expressing truncated OspB antigens.
Truncation of outer surface protein B (OspB) of the Lyme disease agent, Borrelia burgdorferi, may allow the organism to escape immunological destruction and render an OspB-based vaccine ineffective. To investigate this possibility, we have identified two isolates, 297 and CA4, which predominantly express a truncated form of the OspB antigen. In each case, nucleic acid sequencing revealed that truncation of the OspB antigen resulted from a nonsense mutation within the 3', end of the ospB gene. Growth inhibition and protection studies demonstrated that both isolates were neutralized by an anti-OspB serum. Our results indicate that truncated forms of the OspB antigen possess epitopes that may represent important targets for neutralizing antibodies and thus, support the inclusion of OspB as a component of a subunit vaccine.
Probert
W S
WS
Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology School of Veterinary Medicine University of California, Davis 95616, USA.
Crawford
M
M
LeFebvre
R B
RB
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D015748:Borrelia burgdorferi Group / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology*; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000517:prevention & control*; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; C077030:OspB protein, Borrelia burgdorferi