Grants and Contracts Details
Description
Lyme disease is an NIAID/NIH Group I Priority Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Disease, and the
most frequently reported arthropod-borne disease in the United States. Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme
disease spirochete, can persistently infect humans for years. B. burgdorferi is often found in the connective
tissues and associates with components of the extracellular matrix (ECM) such as fibronectin.
Understanding the mechanisms behind borrelial adhesion to ECM components will permit the development
of strategies to disrupt these interactions. Recently, we discovered that an antigenic outer surface
lipoprotein, RevA, binds to fibronectin. We hypothesize that borrelial-ECM interactions, especially those
mediated by fibronectin-binding proteins, are crucial for mammalian infection and persistence in the host.
Studies are proposed to (1) Elucidate the mechanisms of RevA binding to fibronectin through site-directed
mutagenesis of the RevA protein and analyses of specifically-bound fragments of fibronectin, (2)
Characterize how RevA expression is regulated during the infection process, over time and in several
tissues in the mouse model, and (3) Analyze Lyme disease patient immune responses to RevA to test its
suitability as a diagnostic antigen for Lyme disease.
The bacterium which causes Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, can infect humans and other animals for
years. Proteins on the outer surface of Borrelia play important roles in establishing infection in animals.
Appreciating how these proteins are made and how they interact with the host will be an important step
towards understanding the ability of this pathogen to infect humans. Data obtained in these studies will
direct development of improved tools for treatment, prevention, and diagnosis of Lyme disease.
Status | Finished |
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Effective start/end date | 7/1/09 → 6/30/10 |
Funding
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases: $51,710.00
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