HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Miller, J. C. Articles by Stevenson, B. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Miller, J. C. Articles by Stevenson, B. Agricola Articles by Miller, J. C. Articles by Stevenson, B.

Immunological and genetic characterization of Borrelia burgdorferi BapA and EppA proteins

Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, MS 415 Chandler Medical Center, Lexington, KY 40536-0298, USA

Correspondence
Brian Stevenson
bstev0{at}uky.edu

A large majority of examined Lyme disease spirochaete isolates were demonstrated to contain one or both of the paralogous genes bapA and eppA. Immunological analyses of serum samples collected from infected patients coupled with comparative sequence analyses indicated that bapA gene sequences are quite stable but the encoded proteins do not provoke a strong immune response in most individuals. Conversely, EppA proteins are much more antigenic but vary widely in sequence between different bacteria. Considerable evidence of insertion, deletion and other mutations within eppA genes was observed. A number of significant recombination events were also found to have occurred in regions flanking bapA genes, while the genes themselves rarely exhibited evidence of mutation, suggesting strong selective pressure to maintain BapA sequences within narrow limits. Data from these and other studies suggest important roles for BapA and EppA during the Borrelia burgdorferi infectious cycle.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. G. Barbour, A. Jasinskas, M. A. Kayala, D. H. Davies, A. C. Steere, P. Baldi, and P. L. Felgner A Genome-Wide Proteome Array Reveals a Limited Set of Immunogens in Natural Infections of Humans and White-Footed Mice with Borrelia burgdorferi Infect. Immun., August 1, 2008; 76(8): 3374 - 3389. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. Kraiczy, A. Seling, C. A. Brissette, E. Rossmann, K.-P. Hunfeld, T. Bykowski, L. H. Burns, M. J. Troese, A. E. Cooley, J. C. Miller, et al. Borrelia burgdorferi Complement Regulator-Acquiring Surface Protein 2 (CspZ) as a Serological Marker of Human Lyme Disease Clin. Vaccine Immunol., March 1, 2008; 15(3): 484 - 491. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Pinne, Y. Ostberg, P. Comstedt, and S. Bergstrom Molecular analysis of the channel-forming protein P13 and its paralogue family 48 from different Lyme disease Borrelia species Microbiology, March 1, 2004; 150(3): 549 - 559. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]