title: ErpC, a member of the complement regulator-acquiring family of surface proteins from Borrelia burgdorferi, possesses an architecture previously unseen in this protein family.
abstract: Borrelia burgdorferi is a spirochete responsible for Lyme disease, the most commonly occurring vector-borne disease in Europe and North America. The bacterium utilizes a set of proteins, termed complement regulator-acquiring surface proteins (CRASPs), to aid evasion of the human complement system by recruiting and presenting complement regulator factor H on its surface in a manner that mimics host cells. Presented here is the atomic resolution structure of a member of this protein family, ErpC. The structure provides new insights into the mechanism of recruitment of factor H and other factor H-related proteins by acting as a molecular mimic of host glycosaminoglycans. It also describes the architecture of other CRASP proteins belonging to the OspE/F-related paralogous protein family and suggests that they have evolved to bind specific complement proteins, aiding survival of the bacterium in different hosts.
authors.affiliation: Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RE, England.
authors.forename: Joseph J E
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Caesar
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kraiczy
authors.forename: Susan M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Lea
mesh_terms: D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D025065:Borrelia burgdorferi; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D003460:Crystallization; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; C534536:ErpC protein, Borrelia burgdorferi; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D003165:Complement System Proteins
keywords: BbCRASP-4; Borrelia burgdorferi; ErpC; complement; factor H