Lack of detectable variation at Borrelia burgdorferi vlsE locus in ticks.
VlsE is a surface exposed lipoprotein of the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi. Spirochetes are able to generate many antigenic variants of VlsE by DNA recombination at the vlsE locus. Novel VlsE antigenic variants are readily observed in mice infected with B. burgdorferi. We followed a clonal population of spirochetes through a tick transmission cycle and report that unlike in vertebrates, the vlsE locus is stable in ticks.
Nosbisch
Leanna K
LK
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
de Silva
Aravinda M
AM
D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D001179:Arthropod Vectors / Q000382:microbiology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D025065:Borrelia burgdorferi / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D018884:Ixodes / Q000382:microbiology*; D007814:Larva / Q000382:microbiology; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D008074:Lipoproteins; C105546:VlsE protein, Borrelia burgdorferi