title: Antigenic variation in Lyme disease borreliae by promiscuous recombination of VMP-like sequence cassettes.
abstract: We have identified and characterized an elaborate genetic system in the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi that promotes extensive antigenic variation of a surface-exposed lipoprotein, VlsE. A 28 kb linear plasmid of B. burgdorferi B31 (lp28-1) was found to contain a vmp-like sequence (vls) locus that closely resembles the variable major protein (vmp) system for antigenic variation of relapsing fever organisms. Portions of several of the 15 nonexpressed (silent) vls cassette sequences located upstream of vlsE recombined into the central vlsE cassette region during infection of C3H/HeN mice, resulting in antigenic variation of the expressed lipoprotein. This combinatorial variation could potentially produce millions of antigenic variants in the mammalian host.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Texas Medical School at Houston 77030, USA.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Hardham
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Barbour
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Norris
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000940:Antigenic Variation / Q000235:genetics*; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001483:Base Sequence; D015748:Borrelia burgdorferi Group / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D005260:Female; D005798:Genes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D014644:Genetic Variation / Q000235:genetics; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals / Q000235:genetics; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D008074:Lipoproteins; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals; C105546:VlsE protein, Borrelia burgdorferi