This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by El-Hage, N. Articles by Stevenson, B. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by El-Hage, N. Articles by Stevenson, B.

Simultaneous Coexpression of Borrelia burgdorferi Erp Proteins Occurs through a Specific, erp Locus-Directed Regulatory Mechanism

Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky 40536-0298

Received 12 March 2002/ Accepted 21 May 2002

An individual Borrelia burgdorferi bacterium can encode as many as 13 different Erp (OspE/F-related) proteins from mono-and bicistronic loci that are carried on up to 10 separate plasmids. We demonstrate through multilabel immunofluorescence analyses that individual bacteria simultaneously coexpress their entire Erp protein repertoire. While it has been proposed that B. burgdorferi controls expression of Erp and other plasmid-encoded proteins through changes in DNA topology, we observed regulated Erp expression in the absence of detectable differences in DNA supercoiling. Likewise, inhibition of DNA gyrase had no detectable effect on Erp expression. Furthermore, expression of loci physically adjacent to erp loci was observed to be independently regulated. It is concluded that Erp expression is regulated by a mechanism(s) directed at erp loci and not by a global, plasmid-wide mechanism.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Bykowski, T., Woodman, M. E., Cooley, A. E., Brissette, C. A., Brade, V., Wallich, R., Kraiczy, P., Stevenson, B. (2007). Coordinated Expression of Borrelia burgdorferi Complement Regulator-Acquiring Surface Proteins during the Lyme Disease Spirochete's Mammal-Tick Infection Cycle. Infect. Immun. 75: 4227-4236 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Babb, K., Bykowski, T., Riley, S. P., Miller, M. C., DeMoll, E., Stevenson, B. (2006). Borrelia burgdorferi EbfC, a Novel, Chromosomally Encoded Protein, Binds Specific DNA Sequences Adjacent to erp Loci on the Spirochete's Resident cp32 Prophages.. J. Bacteriol. 188: 4331-4339 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Caimano, M. J., Eggers, C. H., Gonzalez, C. A., Radolf, J. D. (2005). Alternate Sigma Factor RpoS Is Required for the In Vivo-Specific Repression of Borrelia burgdorferi Plasmid lp54-Borne ospA and lp6.6 Genes. J. Bacteriol. 187: 7845-7852 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Caimano, M. J., Eggers, C. H., Hazlett, K. R. O., Radolf, J. D. (2004). RpoS Is Not Central to the General Stress Response in Borrelia burgdorferi but Does Control Expression of One or More Essential Virulence Determinants. Infect. Immun. 72: 6433-6445 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Babb, K., McAlister, J. D., Miller, J. C., Stevenson, B. (2004). Molecular Characterization of Borrelia burgdorferi erp Promoter/Operator Elements. J. Bacteriol. 186: 2745-2756 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Miller, J. C., von Lackum, K., Babb, K., McAlister, J. D., Stevenson, B. (2003). Temporal Analysis of Borrelia burgdorferi Erp Protein Expression throughout the Mammal-Tick Infectious Cycle. Infect. Immun. 71: 6943-6952 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Hanincova, K., Taragelova, V., Koci, J., Schafer, S. M., Hails, R., Ullmann, A. J., Piesman, J., Labuda, M., Kurtenbach, K. (2003). Association of Borrelia garinii and B. valaisiana with Songbirds in Slovakia. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69: 2825-2830 [Abstract] [Full Text]