This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Fischer, J. R.
Right arrow Articles by Leong, J. M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Fischer, J. R.
Right arrow Articles by Leong, J. M.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Infection and Immunity, January 2006, p. 435-441, Vol. 74, No. 1
0019-9567/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.74.1.435-441.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Fibronectin Binding Protein BBK32 of the Lyme Disease Spirochete Promotes Bacterial Attachment to Glycosaminoglycans

Joshua R. Fischer,1 Kimberly T. LeBlanc,2 and John M. Leong1,2*

Program in Immunology and Virology,1 Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Ave. North, Worcester, Massachusetts 016552

Received 9 May 2005/ Returned for modification 1 September 2005/ Accepted 21 October 2005

Borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of Lyme disease, causes a multisystemic illness that can affect the skin, heart, joints, and nervous system and is capable of attachment to diverse cell types. Among the host components recognized by this spirochete are fibronectin and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). Three surface-localized GAG-binding bacterial ligands, Bgp, DbpA, and DbpB, have been previously identified, but recent studies suggested that at least one additional GAG-binding ligand is expressed on the spirochetal surface when the spirochete is adapted to the mammalian host environment. BBK32 is a surface lipoprotein that is produced during infection and that has been shown to bind to fibronectin. In this study, we show that, when BBK32 was produced from a shuttle vector in an otherwise nonadherent high-passage B. burgdorferi strain, the protein localized on the bacterial surface and conferred attachment to fibronectin and to mammalian cell monolayers. In addition, the high-passage strain producing BBK32 bound to purified preparations of the GAGs dermatan sulfate and heparin, as well as to these GAGs on the surfaces of cultured mammalian cells. Recombinant BBK32 recognized purified heparin, indicating that the bacterial attachment to GAGs was due to direct binding by BBK32. This GAG-binding activity of BBK32 is apparently independent of fibronectin recognition, because exogenous heparin had no effect on BBK32-mediated bacterial binding to fibronectin.


* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Program in Immunology and Virology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Ave. North, Worcester, MA 01655. Phone: (508) 856-4059. Fax: (508) 856-5920. E-mail: john.leong{at}umassmed.edu.

Editor: V. J. DiRita


Infection and Immunity, January 2006, p. 435-441, Vol. 74, No. 1
0019-9567/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.74.1.435-441.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.




This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Brissette, C. A., Bykowski, T., Cooley, A. E., Bowman, A., Stevenson, B. (2009). Borrelia burgdorferi RevA Antigen Binds Host Fibronectin. Infect. Immun. 77: 2802-2812 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Brissette, C. A., Verma, A., Bowman, A., Cooley, A. E., Stevenson, B. (2009). The Borrelia burgdorferi outer-surface protein ErpX binds mammalian laminin. Microbiology 155: 863-872 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Chen, Q., Fischer, J. R., Benoit, V. M., Dufour, N. P., Youderian, P., Leong, J. M. (2008). In Vitro CpG Methylation Increases the Transformation Efficiency of Borrelia burgdorferi Strains Harboring the Endogenous Linear Plasmid lp56. J. Bacteriol. 190: 7885-7891 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Weening, E. H., Parveen, N., Trzeciakowski, J. P., Leong, J. M., Hook, M., Skare, J. T. (2008). Borrelia burgdorferi Lacking DbpBA Exhibits an Early Survival Defect during Experimental Infection. Infect. Immun. 76: 5694-5705 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Yang, X. F., Goldberg, M. S., He, M., Xu, H., Blevins, J. S., Norgard, M. V. (2008). Differential Expression of a Putative CarD-Like Transcriptional Regulator, LtpA, in Borrelia burgdorferi. Infect. Immun. 76: 4439-4444 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Boardman, B. K., He, M., Ouyang, Z., Xu, H., Pang, X., Yang, X. F. (2008). Essential Role of the Response Regulator Rrp2 in the Infectious Cycle of Borrelia burgdorferi. Infect. Immun. 76: 3844-3853 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Shi, Y., Xu, Q., McShan, K., Liang, F. T. (2008). Both Decorin-Binding Proteins A and B Are Critical for the Overall Virulence of Borrelia burgdorferi. Infect. Immun. 76: 1239-1246 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Nardelli, D. T., Callister, S. M., Schell, R. F. (2008). Lyme Arthritis: Current Concepts and a Change in Paradigm. CVI 15: 21-34 [Full Text]  
  • Bolduc, G. R., Madoff, L. C. (2007). The group B streptococcal alpha C protein binds {alpha}1 1-integrin through a novel KTD motif that promotes internalization of GBS within human epithelial cells. Microbiology 153: 4039-4049 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • He, M., Boardman, B. K., Yan, D., Yang, X. F. (2007). Regulation of Expression of the Fibronectin-Binding Protein BBK32 in Borrelia burgdorferi. J. Bacteriol. 189: 8377-8380 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Xu, Q., Seemanaplli, S. V., McShan, K., Liang, F. T. (2007). Increasing the Interaction of Borrelia burgdorferi with Decorin Significantly Reduces the 50 Percent Infectious Dose and Severely Impairs Dissemination. Infect. Immun. 75: 4272-4281 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Choy, H. A., Kelley, M. M., Chen, T. L., Moller, A. K., Matsunaga, J., Haake, D. A. (2007). Physiological Osmotic Induction of Leptospira interrogans Adhesion: LigA and LigB Bind Extracellular Matrix Proteins and Fibrinogen. Infect. Immun. 75: 2441-2450 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Baron, M. J., Filman, D. J., Prophete, G. A., Hogle, J. M., Madoff, L. C. (2007). Identification of a Glycosaminoglycan Binding Region of the Alpha C Protein That Mediates Entry of Group B Streptococci into Host Cells. J. Biol. Chem. 282: 10526-10536 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Shi, Y., Xu, Q., Seemanapalli, S. V., McShan, K., Liang, F. T. (2006). The dbpBA Locus of Borrelia burgdorferi Is Not Essential for Infection of Mice. Infect. Immun. 74: 6509-6512 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Barbosa, A. S., Abreu, P. A. E., Neves, F. O., Atzingen, M. V., Watanabe, M. M., Vieira, M. L., Morais, Z. M., Vasconcellos, S. A., Nascimento, A. L. T. O. (2006). A Newly Identified Leptospiral Adhesin Mediates Attachment to Laminin. Infect. Immun. 74: 6356-6364 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Li, X., Liu, X., Beck, D. S., Kantor, F. S., Fikrig, E. (2006). Borrelia burgdorferi Lacking BBK32, a Fibronectin-Binding Protein, Retains Full Pathogenicity.. Infect. Immun. 74: 3305-3313 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Parveen, N., Cornell, K. A., Bono, J. L., Chamberland, C., Rosa, P., Leong, J. M. (2006). Bgp, a Secreted Glycosaminoglycan-Binding Protein of Borrelia burgdorferi Strain N40, Displays Nucleosidase Activity and Is Not Essential for Infection of Immunodeficient Mice.. Infect. Immun. 74: 3016-3020 [Abstract] [Full Text]