Hovius Joppe W R, van Dam Alje P, Fikrig Erol
University of Amsterdam, Academic Medical Center, Center for Experimental and Molecular Medicine, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Trends Parasitol. 2007 Sep;23(9):434-8. doi: 10.1016/j.pt.2007.07.001. Epub 2007 Jul 25.
Borrelia burgdorferi, the spirochetal agent of Lyme borreliosis, is predominantly transmitted by Ixodes ticks. Spirochetes have developed many strategies to adapt to the different environments that are present in the arthropod vector and the vertebrate host. This review focuses on B. burgdorferi genes that are preferentially expressed in the tick and the vertebrate host, and describes how selected gene products facilitate spirochete survival throughout the enzootic life cycle. Interestingly, B. burgdorferi also enhances expression of specific Ixodes scapularis genes, such as TROSPA and salp15. The importance of these genes and their products for B. burgdorferi survival within the tick, and during the transmission process, will also be reviewed. Moreover, we discuss how such vector molecules could be used to develop vector-antigen-based vaccines to prevent the transmission of B. burgdorferi and, potentially, other arthropod-borne microbes.
莱姆病螺旋体伯氏疏螺旋体主要通过硬蜱传播。螺旋体已发展出许多策略来适应节肢动物媒介和脊椎动物宿主中存在的不同环境。本综述重点关注在蜱和脊椎动物宿主中优先表达的伯氏疏螺旋体基因，并描述选定的基因产物如何在整个动物传播生命周期中促进螺旋体存活。有趣的是，伯氏疏螺旋体还增强了特定肩突硬蜱基因的表达，如TROSPA和salp15。还将综述这些基因及其产物对伯氏疏螺旋体在蜱内以及传播过程中存活的重要性。此外，我们讨论了如何利用此类媒介分子开发基于媒介抗原的疫苗，以预防伯氏疏螺旋体以及潜在的其他节肢动物传播微生物的传播。
