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Infection and Immunity, March 2000, p. 1319-1327, Vol. 68, No. 3
0019-9567/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Mutation and Recombination in the Upstream Homology Box-Flanked ospE-Related Genes of the Lyme Disease Spirochetes Result in the Development of New Antigenic Variants during Infection

Shian Ying Sung,1 John V. McDowell,1 Jason A. Carlyon,2 and Richard T. Marconi1,*

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23298-0678,1 and Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-80312

Received 28 October 1999/Returned for modification 8 December 1999/Accepted 15 December 1999

The ospE gene family of the Lyme disease spirochetes encodes a polymorphic group of immunogenic lipoproteins. The ospE genes are one of several gene families that are flanked by a highly conserved upstream sequence called the upstream homology box, or UHB, element. Earlier analyses in our lab demonstrated that ospE-related genes are characterized by defined hypervariable domains (domains 1 and 2) that are predicted to be hydrophilic, surface exposed, and antigenic. The flanking of hypervariable domain 1 by DNA repeats may indicate that recombination contributes to ospE diversity and thus ultimately to antigenic variation. Using an isogeneic clone of Borrelia burgdorferi B31G (designated B31Gc1), we demonstrate that the ospE-related genes undergo mutation and rearrangement during infection in mice. The mutations that develop during infection resulted in the generation of OspE proteins with altered antigenic characteristics. The data support the hypothesized role of OspE-related proteins in immune system evasion.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0678. Phone: (804) 828-3779. Fax: (804) 828-9946. E-mail: Rmarconi{at}hsc.vcu.edu.

Infection and Immunity, March 2000, p. 1319-1327, Vol. 68, No. 3
0019-9567/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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