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Infection and Immunity, May 2003, p. 2525-2533, Vol. 71, No. 5
0019-9567/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/IAI.71.5.2525-2533.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Identification of a Treponema pallidum Laminin-Binding Protein

Caroline E. Cameron*

Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington

Received 13 December 2002/ Returned for modification 23 January 2003/ Accepted 14 February 2003

Host extracellular matrix (ECM) components represent ideal microbial adhesion targets that many pathogens use for colonization of tissues and initiation of infection. This study investigated the interaction of the spirochete Treponema pallidum with the ECM component laminin. To identify candidate laminin-binding adhesins, the T. pallidum genome was analyzed to predict open reading frames that encode putative outer membrane proteins, as these proteins interact directly with host ECM components. Subsequent recombinant expression of these proteins and analysis of their laminin-binding potential identified one protein, Tp0751, that demonstrated specific attachment to laminin. Tp0751 attached to laminin in a dose-dependent, saturable manner but did not attach to the ECM component collagen type I or IV or to the negative control proteins fetuin or bovine serum albumin. Sodium metaperiodate treatment of laminin reduced the Tp0751-laminin interaction in a concentration-dependent manner, suggesting that oligosaccharides play a role in this interaction. In addition, Tp0751-specific antibodies were detected in serum samples collected from both experimental and natural syphilis infections, indicating that Tp0751 is expressed in vivo during the course of infection. Collectively, these experiments identified Tp0751 as a laminin-binding protein that is expressed during infection and may be involved in attachment of T. pallidum to host tissues.


* Mailing address: Box 357185, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195. Phone: (206) 616-9046. Fax: (206) 685-8681. E-mail: caroc{at}u.washington.edu.

Editor: D. L. Burns


Infection and Immunity, May 2003, p. 2525-2533, Vol. 71, No. 5
0019-9567/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/IAI.71.5.2525-2533.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.




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Copyright © 2003 by the American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.