Host cell heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycans are ligands for OspF‐related proteins of the Lyme disease spirochete

Borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of Lyme disease, spreads from the site of the tick bite to tissues such as heart, joints and the nervous tissues. Host glycosaminoglycans, highly modified repeating disaccharides that are present on cell surfaces and in extracellular matrix, are common targets of microbial pathogens during tissue colonization. While several dermatan sulfate‐binding B. burgdorferi adhesins have been identified, B. burgdorferi adhesins documented to promote spirochetal binding to heparan sulfate have not yet been identified. OspEF‐related proteins (Erps), a large family of plasmid‐encoded surface lipoproteins that are produced in the mammalian host, can be divided into the OspF‐related, OspEF‐leader peptide (Elp) and OspE‐related subfamilies. We show here that a member of the OspF‐related subfamily, ErpG, binds to heparan sulfate and when produced on the surface of an otherwise non‐adherent B. burgdorferi strain, ErpG promotes heparan sulfate‐mediated bacterial attachment to the glial but not the endothelial, synovial or respiratory epithelial cells. Six other OspF‐related proteins were capable of binding heparan sulfate, whereas representative OspE‐related and Elp proteins lacked this activity. These results indicate that OspF‐related proteins are heparan sulfate‐binding adhesins, at least one of which promotes bacterial attachment to glial cells.     

Vascular binding of a pathogen under shear force through mechanistically distinct sequential interactions with host macromolecules

Systemic dissemination of microbial pathogens permits microbes to spread from the initial site of infection to secondary target tissues and is responsible for most mortality due to bacterial infections. Dissemination is a critical stage of disease progression by the Lyme spirochaete, Borrelia burgdorferi. However, many mechanistic features of the process are not yet understood. A key step is adhesion of circulating microbes to vascular surfaces in the face of the shear forces present in flowing blood. Using real‐time microscopic imaging of the Lyme spirochaete in living mice we previously identified the first bacterial protein (B. burgdorferi BBK32) shown to mediate vascular adhesion in vivo. Vascular adhesion is also dependent on host fibronectin (Fn) and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). In the present study, we investigated the mechanisms of BBK32‐dependent vascular adhesion in vivo. We determined that BBK32–Fn interactions (tethering) function as a molecular braking mechanism that permits the formation of more stable BBK32–GAG interactions (dragging) between circulating bacteria and vascular surfaces. Since BBK32‐like proteins are expressed in a variety of pathogens we believe that the vascular adhesion mechanisms we have deciphered here may be critical for understanding the dissemination mechanisms of other bacterial pathogens.     

Integrin binding by Borrelia burgdorferi P66 facilitates dissemination but is not required for infectivity

P66, a Borrelia burgdorferi surface protein with porin and integrin‐binding activities, is essential for murine infection. The role of P66 integrin‐binding activity in B. burgdorferi infection was investigated and found to affect transendothelial migration. The role of integrin binding, specifically, was tested by mutation of two amino acids (D205A,D207A) or deletion of seven amino acids (Del202–208). Neither change affected surface localization or channel‐forming activity of P66, but both significantly reduced binding to α_vβ₃. Integrin‐binding deficient B. burgdorferi strains caused disseminated infection in mice at 4 weeks post‐subcutaneous inoculation, but bacterial burdens were significantly reduced in some tissues. Following intravenous inoculation, the Del202–208 bacteria were below the limit of detection in all tissues assessed at 2 weeks post‐inoculation, but bacterial burdens recovered to wild‐type levels at 4 weeks post‐inoculation. The delay in tissue colonization correlated with reduced migration of the Del202–208 strains across microvascular endothelial cells, similar to Δp66 bacteria. These results indicate that integrin binding by P66 is important to efficient dissemination of B. burgdorferi, which is critical to its ability to cause disease manifestations in incidental hosts and to its maintenance in the enzootic cycle.     

In vitro CpG methylation increases the transformation efficiency of Borrelia burgdorferi strains harboring the endogenous linear plasmid lp56

Borrelia burgdorferi is the causative agent of Lyme disease, the most common vector-borne illness in the Northern hemisphere. Low-passage-number infectious strains of B. burgdorferi exhibit extremely low transformation efficiencies—so low, in fact, as to hinder the genetic study of putative virulence factors. Two putative restriction-modification (R-M) systems, BBE02 contained on linear plasmid 25 (lp25) and BBQ67 contained on lp56, have been postulated to contribute to this poor transformability. Restriction barriers posed by other bacteria have been overcome by the in vitro methylation of DNA prior to transformation. To test whether a methylation-sensitive restriction system contributes to poor B. burgdorferi transformability, shuttle plasmids were treated with the CpG methylase M.SssI prior to the electroporation of a variety of strains harboring different putative R-M systems. We found that for B. burgdorferi strains that harbor lp56, in vitro methylation increased transformation by at least 1 order of magnitude. These results suggest that in vitro CpG methylation protects exogenous DNA from degradation by an lp56-contained R-M system, presumably BBQ67. The utility of in vitro methylation for the genetic manipulation of B. burgdorferi was exemplified by the ease of plasmid complementation of a B. burgdorferi B31 A3 BBK32 kanamycin-resistant (B31 A3 BBK32::Kan^r) mutant, deficient in the expression of the fibronectin- and glycosaminoglycan (GAG)-binding adhesin BBK32. Consistent with the observation that several surface proteins may promote GAG binding, the B. burgdorferi B31 A3 BBK32::Kan^r mutant demonstrated no defect in the ability to bind purified GAGs or GAGs expressed on the surfaces of cultured cells.     

Borrelia burgdorferi BBK32 Inhibits the Classical Pathway by Blocking Activation of the C1 Complement Complex

Pathogens that traffic in blood, lymphatics, or interstitial fluids must adopt strategies to evade innate immune defenses, notably the complement system. Through recruitment of host regulators of complement to their surface, many pathogens are able to escape complement-mediated attack. The Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, produces a number of surface proteins that bind to factor H related molecules, which function as the dominant negative regulator of the alternative pathway of complement. Relatively less is known about how B. burgdorferi evades the classical pathway of complement despite the observation that some sensu lato strains are sensitive to classical pathway activation. Here we report that the borrelial lipoprotein BBK32 potently and specifically inhibits the classical pathway by binding with high affinity to the initiating C1 complex of complement. In addition, B. burgdorferi cells that produce BBK32 on their surface bind to both C1 and C1r and a serum sensitive derivative of B. burgdorferi is protected from killing via the classical pathway in a BBK32-dependent manner. Subsequent biochemical and biophysical approaches localized the anti-complement activity of BBK32 to its globular C-terminal domain. Mechanistic studies reveal that BBK32 acts by entrapping C1 in its zymogen form by binding and inhibiting the C1 subcomponent, C1r, which serves as the initiating serine protease of the classical pathway. To our knowledge this is the first report of a spirochetal protein acting as a direct inhibitor of the classical pathway and is the only example of a biomolecule capable of specifically and noncovalently inhibiting C1/C1r. By identifying a unique mode of complement evasion this study greatly enhances our understanding of how pathogens subvert and potentially manipulate host innate immune systems.     

Regulation of expression of the fibronectin-binding protein BBK32 in Borrelia burgdorferi

The BBK32 protein binds to host extracellular ligand fibronectin and contributes to the pathogenesis of Borrelia burgdorferi. Here we showed that expression of the BBK32 gene is influenced by multiple environmental factors and that its regulation is governed by the response regulator Rrp2 and RpoN-RpoS (σ⁵⁴-σ^S) sigma cascade in B. burgdorferi.     

Decorin Binding Proteins of Borrelia burgdorferi Promote Arthritis Development and Joint Specific Post-Treatment DNA Persistence in Mice

Decorin binding proteins A and B (DbpA and B) of Borrelia burgdorferi are of critical importance for the virulence of the spirochete. The objective of the present study was to further clarify the contribution of DbpA and B to development of arthritis and persistence of B. burgdorferi after antibiotic treatment in a murine model of Lyme borreliosis. With that goal, mice were infected with B. burgdorferi strains expressing either DbpA or DbpB, or both DbpA and B, or with a strain lacking the adhesins. Arthritis development was monitored up to 15 weeks after infection, and bacterial persistence was studied after ceftriaxone and immunosuppressive treatments. Mice infected with the B. burgdorferi strain expressing both DbpA and B developed an early and prominent joint swelling. In contrast, while strains that expressed DbpA or B alone, or the strain that was DbpA and B deficient, were able to colonize mouse joints, they caused only negligible joint manifestations. Ceftriaxone treatment at two or six weeks of infection totally abolished joint swelling, and all ceftriaxone treated mice were B. burgdorferi culture negative. Antibiotic treated mice, which were immunosuppressed by anti-TNF-alpha, remained culture negative. Importantly, among ceftriaxone treated mice, B. burgdorferi DNA was detected by PCR uniformly in joint samples of mice infected with DbpA and B expressing bacteria, while this was not observed in mice infected with the DbpA and B deficient strain. In conclusion, these results show that both DbpA and B adhesins are crucial for early and prominent arthritis development in mice. Also, post-treatment borrelial DNA persistence appears to be dependent on the expression of DbpA and B on B. burgdorferi surface. Results of the immunosuppression studies suggest that the persisting material in the joints of antibiotic treated mice is DNA or DNA containing remnants rather than live bacteria.     

Borrelia burgdorferi binds fibronectin through a tandem beta-zipper, a common mechanism of fibronectin binding in staphylococci, streptococci, and spirochetes

BBK32 is a fibronectin-binding protein from the Lyme disease-causing spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. In this study, we show that BBK32 shares sequence similarity with fibronectin module-binding motifs previously identified in proteins from Streptococcus pyogenes and Staphylococcus aureus. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and isothermal titration calorimetry are used to confirm the binding sites of BBK32 peptides within the N-terminal domain of fibronectin and to measure the affinities of the interactions. Comparison of chemical shift perturbations in fibronectin F1 modules on binding of peptides from BBK32, FnBPA from S. aureus, and SfbI from S. pyogenes provides further evidence for a shared mechanism of binding. Despite the different locations of the bacterial attachment sites in BBK32 compared with SfbI from S. pyogenes and FnBPA from S. aureus, an antiparallel orientation is observed for binding of the N-terminal domain of fibronectin to each of the pathogens. Thus, these phylogenetically and morphologically distinct bacterial pathogens have similar mechanisms for binding to human fibronectin.     

Borrelia burgdorferi Protein BBK32 Binds to Soluble Fibronectin via the N-terminal 70-kDa Region,Causing Fibronectin to Undergo Conformational Extension

BBK32 is a fibronectin (FN)-binding protein expressed on the cell surface of Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease. There is conflicting information about where and how BBK32 interacts with FN. We have characterized interactions of a recombinant 86-mer polypeptide, “Bbk32,” comprising the unstructured FN-binding region of BBK32. Competitive enzyme-linked assays utilizing various FN fragments and epitope-mapped anti-FN monoclonal antibodies showed that Bbk32 binding involves both the fibrin-binding and the gelatin-binding domains of the 70-kDa N-terminal region (FN70K). Crystallographic and NMR analyses of smaller Bbk32 peptides complexed, respectively, with ^2–3FNI and ^8–9FNI, demonstrated that binding occurs by β-strand addition. Isothermal titration calorimetry indicated that Bbk32 binds to isolated FN70K more tightly than to intact FN. In a competitive enzyme-linked binding assay, complex formation with Bbk32 enhanced binding of FN with mAbIII-10 to the ¹⁰FNIII module. Thus, Bbk32 binds to multiple FN type 1 modules of the FN70K region by a tandem β-zipper mechanism, and in doing so increases accessibility of FNIII modules that interact with other ligands. The similarity in the FN-binding mechanism of BBK32 and previously studied streptococcal proteins suggests that the binding and associated conformational change of FN play a role in infection.     

Intravital Imaging of Vascular Transmigration by the Lyme Spirochete: Requirement for the Integrin Binding Residues of the B. burgdorferi P66 Protein

Vascular extravasation, a key step in systemic infection by hematogenous microbial pathogens, is poorly understood, but has been postulated to encompass features similar to vascular transmigration by leukocytes. The Lyme disease spirochete can cause a variety of clinical manifestations, including arthritis, upon hematogenous dissemination. This pathogen encodes numerous surface adhesive proteins (adhesins) that may promote extravasation, but none have yet been implicated in this process. In this work we report the novel use of intravital microscopy of the peripheral knee vasculature to study transmigration of the Lyme spirochete in living Cd1d ^-/-mice. In the absence of iNKT cells, major immune modulators in the mouse joint, spirochetes that have extravasated into joint-proximal tissue remain in the local milieu and can be enumerated accurately. We show that BBK32, a fibronectin and glycosaminoglycan adhesin of B. burgdorferi involved in early steps of endothelial adhesion, is not required for extravasation from the peripheral knee vasculature. In contrast, almost no transmigration occurs in the absence of P66, an outer membrane protein that has porin and integrin adhesin functions. Importantly, P66 mutants specifically defective in integrin binding were incapable of promoting extravasation. P66 itself does not promote detectable microvascular interactions, suggesting that vascular adhesion of B. burgdorferi mediated by other adhesins, sets the stage for P66-integrin interactions leading to transmigration. Although integrin-binding proteins with diverse functions are encoded by a variety of bacterial pathogens, P66 is the first to have a documented and direct role in vascular transmigration. The emerging picture of vascular escape by the Lyme spirochete shows similarities, but distinct differences from leukocyte transmigration.     

Inactivation of the fibronectin-binding adhesin gene bbk32 significantly attenuates the infectivity potential of Borrelia burgdorferi

Borrelia burgdorferi, the aetiological agent of Lyme disease, utilizes multiple adhesins to interact with both the arthropod vector and mammalian hosts it colonizes. One such adhesive molecule is a surface-exposed fibronectin-binding lipoprotein, designated BBK32. Previous characterization of BBK32-mediated fibronectin binding has been limited to biochemical analyses due to the difficulty in mutagenizing infectious isolates of B. burgdorferi. Here we report an alternative method to inactivate bbk32 via allelic exchange through use of a low-passage variant of B. burgdorferi strain B31 that is more readily transformed. The resulting mutant does not synthesize BBK32, exhibits reduced fibronectin binding in solid phase assays and manifests decreased interactions with mouse fibroblast cells relative to both the infectious parent and genetic complement. Furthermore, the bbk32 knockout was significantly attenuated in the murine model of Lyme disease, whereas a genetically complemented control was not, indicating that BBK32 is necessary for maximal B. burgdorferi infection in the mouse. To our knowledge this is the first mutational analysis of a surface exposed, functional borrelial lipoprotein adhesin whose activity is associated with the mammalian host environment. By analogy with other pathogens that utilize fibronectin binding as an important virulence determinant, the borrelial fibronectin-BBK32 interaction is likely to be important in B. burgdorferi-specific pathogenic mechanisms, particularly in the context of dissemination, secondary colonization and/or persistence.     

Strain-Specific Variation of the Decorin-Binding Adhesin DbpA Influences the Tissue Tropism of the Lyme Disease Spirochete

Lyme disease spirochetes demonstrate strain- and species-specific differences in tissue tropism. For example, the three major Lyme disease spirochete species, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, B. garinii, and B. afzelii, are each most commonly associated with overlapping but distinct spectra of clinical manifestations. Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, the most common Lyme spirochete in the U.S., is closely associated with arthritis. The attachment of microbial pathogens to cells or to the extracellular matrix of target tissues may promote colonization and disease, and the Lyme disease spirochete encodes several surface proteins, including the decorin- and dermatan sulfate-binding adhesin DbpA, which vary among strains and have been postulated to contribute to strain-specific differences in tissue tropism. DbpA variants differ in their ability to bind to its host ligands and to cultured mammalian cells. To directly test whether variation in dbpA influences tissue tropism, we analyzed murine infection by isogenic B. burgdorferi strains that encode different dbpA alleles. Compared to dbpA alleles of B. afzelii strain VS461 or B. burgdorferi strain N40-D10/E9, dbpA of B. garinii strain PBr conferred the greatest decorin- and dermatan sulfate-binding activity, promoted the greatest colonization at the inoculation site and heart, and caused the most severe carditis. The dbpA of strain N40-D10/E9 conferred the weakest decorin- and GAG-binding activity, but the most robust joint colonization and was the only dbpA allele capable of conferring significant joint disease. Thus, dbpA mediates colonization and disease by the Lyme disease spirochete in an allele-dependent manner and may contribute to the etiology of distinct clinical manifestations associated with different Lyme disease strains. This study provides important support for the long-postulated model that strain-specific variations of Borrelia surface proteins influence tissue tropism.     

Absence of sodA Increases the Levels of Oxidation of Key Metabolic Determinants of Borrelia burgdorferi

Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, alters its gene expression in response to environmental signals unique to its tick vector or vertebrate hosts. B. burgdorferi carries one superoxide dismutase gene (sodA) capable of controlling intracellular superoxide levels. Previously, sodA was shown to be essential for infection of B. burgdorferi in the C3H/HeN model of Lyme disease. We employed two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) and immunoblot analysis with antibodies specific to carbonylated proteins to identify targets that were differentially oxidized in the soluble fractions of the sodA mutant compared to its isogenic parental control strain following treatment with an endogenous superoxide generator, methyl viologen (MV, paraquat). HPLC-ESI-MS/MS analysis of oxidized proteins revealed that several proteins of the glycolytic pathway (BB0057, BB0020, BB0348) exhibited increased carbonylation in the sodA mutant treated with MV. Levels of ATP and NAD/NADH were reduced in the sodA mutant compared with the parental strain following treatment with MV and could be attributed to increased levels of oxidation of proteins of the glycolytic pathway. In addition, a chaperone, HtpG (BB0560), and outer surface protein A (OspA, BBA15) were also observed to be oxidized in the sodA mutant. Immunoblot analysis revealed reduced levels of Outer surface protein C (OspC), Decorin binding protein A (DbpA), fibronectin binding protein (BBK32), RpoS and BosR in the sodA mutant compared to the control strains. Viable sodA mutant spirochetes could not be recovered from both gp91/phox ^−⁄− and iNOS deficient mice while borrelial DNA was detected in multiple tissues samples from infected mice at significantly lower levels compared to the parental strain. Taken together, these observations indicate that the increased oxidation of select borrelial determinants and reduced levels of critical pathogenesis-associated lipoproteins contribute to the in vivo deficit of the sodA mutant in the mouse model of Lyme disease. This study, utilizing the sodA mutant, has provided insights into adaptive capabilities critical for survival of B. burgdorferi in its hosts.     

The Borrelia burgdorferi CheY3 response regulator is essential for chemotaxis and completion of its natural infection cycle

Borrelia burgdorferi possesses a sophisticated and complex chemotaxis system, but how the organism utilizes this system in its natural enzootic life cycle is poorly understood. Of the three CheY chemotaxis response regulators in B. burgdorferi, we found that only deletion of cheY3 resulted in an altered motility and significantly reduced chemotaxis phenotype. Although ΔcheY3 maintained normal densities in unfed ticks, their numbers were significantly reduced in fed ticks compared with the parental or cheY3‐complemented spirochetes. Importantly, mice fed upon by the ΔcheY3‐infected ticks did not develop a persistent infection. Intravital confocal microscopy analyses discovered that the ΔcheY3 spirochetes were motile within skin, but appeared unable to reverse direction and perform the characteristic backward–forward motility displayed by the parental strain. Subsequently, the ΔcheY3 became ‘trapped’ in the skin matrix within days of inoculation, were cleared from the skin needle‐inoculation site within 96 h post‐injection and did not disseminate to distant tissues. Interestingly, although ΔcheY3 cells were cleared within 96 h post‐injection, this attenuated infection elicited significant levels of B. burgdorferi‐specific IgM and IgG. Taken together, these data demonstrate that cheY3‐mediated chemotaxis is crucial for motility, dissemination and viability of the spirochete both within and between mice and ticks.     

A Novel Fibronectin Binding Motif in MSCRAMMs Targets F3 Modules

Background

BBK32 is a surface expressed lipoprotein and fibronectin (Fn)-binding microbial surface component recognizing adhesive matrix molecule (MSCRAMM) of Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease. Previous studies from our group showed that BBK32 is a virulence factor in experimental Lyme disease and located the Fn-binding region to residues 21–205 of the lipoprotein.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Studies aimed at identifying interacting sites between BBK32 and Fn revealed an interaction between the MSCRAMM and the Fn F3 modules. Further analysis of this interaction showed that BBK32 can cause the aggregation of human plasma Fn in a similar concentration-dependent manner to that of anastellin, the superfibronectin (sFn) inducing agent. The resulting Fn aggregates are conformationally distinct from plasma Fn as indicated by a change in available thermolysin cleavage sites. Recombinant BBK32 and anastellin affect the structure of Fn matrices formed by cultured fibroblasts and inhibit endothelial cell proliferation similarly. Within BBK32, we have located the sFn-forming activity to a region between residues 160 and 175 which contains two sequence motifs that are also found in anastellin. Synthetic peptides mimicking these motifs induce Fn aggregation, whereas a peptide with a scrambled sequence motif was inactive, suggesting that these motifs represent the sFn-inducing sequence.

Conclusions/Significance

We conclude that BBK32 induces the formation of Fn aggregates that are indistinguishable from those formed by anastellin. The results of this study provide evidence for how bacteria can target host proteins to manipulate host cell activities.     

Identification of a 47 kDa fibronectin-binding protein expressed by Borrelia burgdorferi isolate B31

The attachment of pathogenic microorganisms to host cells and tissues is often mediated through the expression of surface receptors recognizing components of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Here, we investigate the ability of Borrelia spirochaetes to bind the ECM constituent, fibronectin. Borrelia lysates were separated by SDS–PAGE, transferred to nitrocellulose and probed with alkaline phosphatase-labelled fibronectin (fibronectin-AP). Five of six Borrelia species and four of eight B. burgdorferi sensu lato isolates expressed one or more fibronectin-binding proteins. Borrelia burgdorferi isolate B31 expressed a 47 kDa (P47) fibronectin-binding protein that was localized to the outer envelope based on susceptibility to proteinase K. The interaction of P47 with fibronectin was specific, and the region of fibronectin bound by P47 mapped to the gelatin/collagen binding domain. P47 was purified by affinity chromatography, digested with endoproteinase Lys-C, and the peptide fragments analysed by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectroscopy. A search of protein databases disclosed that the P47 peptide mass profile matched that predicted for the bbk32 gene product of B. burgdorferi isolate B31. The bbk32 gene was cloned into Escherichia coli , and the ability of recombinant BBK32 to bind fibronectin and inhibit the attachment of B. burgdorferi was demonstrated. The identification of BBK32 as a receptor for fibronectin binding may enhance our understanding of the pathogenesis and chronic nature of Lyme disease.     

Evaluation of Borrelia burgdorferi BbHtrA Protease as a Vaccine Candidate for Lyme Borreliosis in Mice

Borrelia burgdorferi synthesizes an HtrA protease (BbHtrA) which is a surface-exposed, conserved protein within Lyme disease spirochetes with activity toward CheX and BmpD of Borrelia spp, as well as aggrecan, fibronectin and proteoglycans found in skin, joints and neural tissues of vertebrates. An antibody response against BbHtrA is observed in Lyme disease patients and in experimentally infected laboratory mice and rabbits. Given the surface location of BbHtrA on B. burgdorferi and its ability to elicit an antibody response in infected hosts, we explored recombinant BbHtrA as a potential vaccine candidate in a mouse model of tick-transmitted Lyme disease. We immunized mice with two forms of BbHtrA: the proteolytically active native form and BbHtrA ablated of activity by a serine to alanine mutation at amino acid 226 (BbHtrA^S226A). Although inoculation with either BbHtrA or BbHtrA^S226A produced high-titer antibody responses in C3H/HeJ mice, neither antigen was successful in protecting mice from B. burgdorferi challenge. These results indicate that the search for novel vaccine candidates against Lyme borreliosis remains a challenge.     

Borrelia burgdorferi BbHtrA degrades host ECM proteins and stimulates release of inflammatory cytokines in vitro

The Lyme disease spirochaete, Borrelia burgdorferi, causes damage to diverse host tissues and induces inflammation but the mechanisms of injury are poorly understood. We recently reported that a surface‐exposed B. burgdorferi protease, which is expressed during human disease and is conserved within the major Lyme disease spirochaete species, degrades the extracellular matrix proteoglycan, aggrecan. Here we demonstrate that BbHtrA also degrades fibronectin and numerous proteoglycans found in skin, joints and neural tissues. BbHtrA degradation of fibronectin released known pro‐inflammatory fibronectin fragments FnIII_13–14 and Fnf‐29, which may amplify the inflammatory processes triggered by the presence of the bacteria. When this hypothesis was tested directly by exposing chondrocytes to BbHtrA in vitro, inflammatory cytokines (sICAM‐1 and IL‐6) and chemokines (CXCL1, CCL1, CCL2 and CCL5) that are hallmarks of Lyme disease were induced. These results provide the first evidence that, by utilizing BbHtrA, B. burgdorferi may actively participate in its dissemination and in the tissue damage and inflammation observed in Lyme disease.     

Infectivity and Arthritis Induction of Borrelia japonica on SCID Mice and Immune Competent Mice: Possible Role of Galactosylceramide Binding Activity on Initiation of Infection

We investigated the relationship between the binding activity to galactosylceramide (GalCer) and the arthritis induction activity of Borrelia japonica. The B. japonica strains maintained the ability to induce arthritis in inbred C3H/HeN and immunodeficient SCID mice, but the ability was lower than that of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto virulent strain 297. Histopathological changes were restricted to the joints, and a marked effusion of polymorphonuclear neutrophils into the joint space was found. The binding activity of B. japonica strains to GalCer was lower than that of the virulent strain 297 but higher than that of the high-passage strain 297. The lower infectivity and virulence of B. japonica may explain its lower binding ability to GalCer.     

Lyme disease spirochaetes possess an aggrecan‐binding protease with aggrecanase activity

Connective tissues are the most common area of colonization for the Lyme disease spirochaete Borrelia burgdorferi. Colonization is aided by the interaction between numerous bacterial adhesins with components of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Here we describe a novel interaction between B. burgdorferi and the major ECM proteoglycan found in joints, aggrecan. Using affinity chromatography and mass spectrometry we identify two borrelial aggrecan‐binding proteins: the known ECM ligand Bgp (BB0588) and an uncharacterized protease BbHtrA (BB0104). Proteinase K studies demonstrate that BbHtrA is surface exposed. Immunoblots using sera from patients with both early and late Lyme disease establish that BbHtrA is expressed during human disease, immunogenic, and conserved in the three major Lyme disease spirochaete species. Consequences of the interaction between aggrecan and BbHtrA were examined by proteolysis assays. BbHtrA cleaves aggrecan at a site known to destroy aggrecan function and which has been previously observed in the synovial fluid of patients with Lyme arthritis. These data demonstrate that B. burgdorferi possess aggrecan‐binding proteins which may provide the organism with additional capability to colonize connective tissues. Moreover, our studies provide the first evidence that B. burgdorferi possess proteolytic activity which may contribute to the pathogenesis of Lyme arthritis.