Lyme disease-causing Borrelia species encode multiple lipoproteins homologous to peptide-binding proteins of ABC-type transporters.
To identify cell envelope proteins of Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, we constructed a library of B. burgdorferi genes fused to the Escherichia coli phoA gene, which expresses enzymatically active alkaline phosphatase. One such gene, oppA-1, encodes a predicted polypeptide with significant similarities to various peptide-binding proteins of ABC-type transporters. Immediately downstream of oppA-1 are two genes, oppA-2 and oppA-3, whose predicted polypeptide products show strong similarities in their amino acid sequences to OppA-1, including a sequence that resembles the most highly conserved region in peptide-binding proteins. By labeling with [3H]palmitate, OppA-1, OppA-2, and OppA-3 were shown to be lipoproteins. DNA hybridization analysis showed that the oppA-1 oppA-2 oppA-3 region is located on the linear chromosome of B. burgdorferi, and the genes are conserved among different Borrelia species that cause Lyme disease (B. burgdorferi, B. garinii, and B. afzelli), suggesting that all three homologous genes are important to the maintenance of Lyme disease spirochetes in one or more of their hosts.
Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut 06459, USA.
J A
JA
Kornacki
D B
DB
Oliver
D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001483:Base Sequence; D015748:Borrelia burgdorferi Group / Q000235:genetics*; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases / Q000235:genetics; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D015723:Gene Library; D006801:Humans; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000378:metabolism; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D008074:Lipoproteins; D009842:Oligopeptides; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C046506:oligopeptide-binding protein, bacteria; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase; C114089:phoA protein, E coli