title: Further structural insights into the binding of complement factor H by complement regulator-acquiring surface protein 1 (CspA) of Borrelia burgdorferi.
abstract: Borrelia burgdorferi has evolved many mechanisms of evading the different immune systems across its range of reservoir hosts, including the capture and presentation of host complement regulators factor H and factor H-like protein-1 (FHL-1). Acquisition is mediated by a family of complement regulator-acquiring surface proteins (CRASPs), of which the atomic structure of CspA (BbCRASP-1) is known and shows the formation of a homodimeric species which is required for binding. Mutagenesis studies have mapped a putative factor H binding site to a cleft between the two subunits. Presented here is a new atomic structure of CspA which shows a degree of flexibility between the subunits which may be critical for factor H scavenging by increasing access to the binding interface and allows the possibility that the assembly can clamp around the bound complement regulators.
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: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wallich
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kraiczy
authors.forename: Peter F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Zipfel
authors.forename: Susan M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Lea
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D025065:Borrelia burgdorferi; D017242:Complement Factor H / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D011485:Protein Binding / Q000502:physiology; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; C440651:complement regulator-acquiring surface proteins, Borrelia burgdorferi; D017242:Complement Factor H
keywords: BbCRASP-1; Borrelia burgdorferi; CspA; complement; factor H