Bettin Everton B, Aghakhanian Farhang, Hennelly Christopher M, Chen Wentao, Davenport Timothy C, Hackl Simon T, Grassmann Andre A, Vargas-Cely Fabio, Silva Sebastián, García-Luna Jonny A, Ramirez Lady G, Jiang Yinbo, Yang Ligang, Zheng Heping, Yang Bin, Pospíšilová Petra, Šmajs David, Matoga Mitch M, Hoffman Irving F, López-Medina Eduardo, Nieselt Kay, Moody M Anthony, Seña Arlene C, Salazar Juan C, Parr Jonathan B, Caimano Melissa J, Hawley Kelly L, Radolf Justin D
UConn Health, Farmington, Connecticut, USA.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
J Bacteriol. 2025 Aug 21;207(8):e0015925. doi: 10.1128/jb.00159-25. Epub 2025 Jul 14.
Knowledge of subspecies () outer membrane protein (OMP) sequence variability is essential for understanding spirochete proliferation within endemic populations as well as the design of a globally effective syphilis vaccine. Our group has identified extracellular loops (ECLs) of BamA (TP0326) and members of the FadL family (TP0548, TP0856, TP0858, TP0859, and TP0865) as potential components of a multivalent vaccine cocktail. As part of a consortium to explore strain diversity, we mapped the variability of BamA and FadL orthologs in 186 strains from Malawi, China, and Colombia onto predicted 3D structures. The 186 genomes fell into eight subclades (five Nichols- and three SS14-lineage) with substantial geographic restriction. Single nucleotide variants accounted for the large majority of proteoforms, with variability notably higher within the Nichols-lineage strains. Most mutations were in regions of the proteins predicted to be extracellular and harboring B cell epitopes. We observed a striking difference in the degree of variability between the six OMPs, suggesting that these proteins are following divergent evolutionary paths. Concatenation of OMP sequences recapitulated the phylogenetic structure of the strains, effectively segregating within clades and largely clustering by subclades. Finally, we noted that BamA and FadL candidate ECL vaccinogens, previously shown to elicit antibodies that kill treponemes during cultivation, are well conserved. Taken as a whole, our study establishes a structural-phylogenetic approach for analyzing the forces shaping the host-pathogen interface in syphilis within endemic populations while informing the selection of vaccine targets.IMPORTANCESyphilis remains a major global health concern, reinforcing the need for a safe and effective vaccine. Understanding the variability of OMPs is essential for tracking pathogen evolution and informing vaccine design. Here, we analyzed the variability of six OMPs in 186 strains from Malawi, China, and Colombia, identifying protein-specific evolutionary patterns. Most mutations were localized in extracellular regions and, notably, appeared to correlate with the phylogenetic structure of . Despite OMP heterogeneity, several candidate vaccinogens remained highly conserved, reinforcing their potential as globally effective vaccine targets. Our study establishes a structural-phylogenetic framework for dissecting the forces shaping the host-spirochete interface within endemic populations and provides a foundation for designing a globally effective syphilis vaccine.
了解梅毒亚种(Treponema pallidum subspecies)外膜蛋白(OMP)序列的变异性,对于理解梅毒螺旋体在地方流行人群中的增殖情况以及设计全球有效的梅毒疫苗至关重要。我们的研究团队已确定BamA(TP0326)的细胞外环(ECL)以及FadL家族成员(TP0548、TP0856、TP0858、TP0859和TP0865)为多价疫苗组合的潜在成分。作为探索梅毒螺旋体菌株多样性联盟的一部分,我们将来自马拉维、中国和哥伦比亚的186株梅毒螺旋体菌株中BamA和FadL直系同源物的变异性映射到预测的三维结构上。这186个基因组分为八个亚分支(五个Nichols谱系和三个SS14谱系),具有明显的地理局限性。单核苷酸变异占蛋白质变体的绝大多数,其中Nichols谱系菌株的变异性显著更高。大多数突变位于蛋白质预测的细胞外区域,且含有B细胞表位。我们观察到六种OMP的变异程度存在显著差异,表明这些蛋白质遵循不同的进化路径。OMP序列的串联概括了梅毒螺旋体菌株的系统发育结构,有效地在分支内进行分离,并在很大程度上按亚分支聚类。最后,我们注意到先前已证明能在体外培养过程中引发可杀死梅毒螺旋体抗体的BamA和FadL候选ECL疫苗原具有高度保守性。总体而言,我们的研究建立了一种结构系统发育方法,用于分析塑造地方流行人群中梅毒宿主 - 病原体界面的因素,同时为疫苗靶点的选择提供依据。
重要性 梅毒仍然是全球主要的健康问题,这凸显了对安全有效疫苗的需求。了解梅毒螺旋体外膜蛋白的变异性对于追踪病原体进化和指导疫苗设计至关重要。在此,我们分析了来自马拉维、中国和哥伦比亚的186株梅毒螺旋体菌株中六种外膜蛋白的变异性,确定了蛋白质特异性的进化模式。大多数突变位于细胞外区域,并且明显与梅毒螺旋体的系统发育结构相关。尽管外膜蛋白存在异质性,但几种候选疫苗原仍然高度保守,这增强了它们作为全球有效疫苗靶点的潜力。我们的研究建立了一个结构系统发育框架,用于剖析塑造地方流行人群中宿主 - 梅毒螺旋体界面的因素,并为设计全球有效的梅毒疫苗提供了基础。
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