Zhang J R, Hardham J M, Barbour A G, Norris S J
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Texas Medical School at Houston 77030, USA.
Cell. 1997 Apr 18;89(2):275-85. doi: 10.1016/s0092-8674(00)80206-8.
We have identified and characterized an elaborate genetic system in the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi that promotes extensive antigenic variation of a surface-exposed lipoprotein, VlsE. A 28 kb linear plasmid of B. burgdorferi B31 (lp28-1) was found to contain a vmp-like sequence (vls) locus that closely resembles the variable major protein (vmp) system for antigenic variation of relapsing fever organisms. Portions of several of the 15 nonexpressed (silent) vls cassette sequences located upstream of vlsE recombined into the central vlsE cassette region during infection of C3H/HeN mice, resulting in antigenic variation of the expressed lipoprotein. This combinatorial variation could potentially produce millions of antigenic variants in the mammalian host.
我们已经在莱姆病螺旋体伯氏疏螺旋体中鉴定并表征了一个复杂的遗传系统，该系统促进表面暴露脂蛋白VlsE的广泛抗原变异。发现伯氏疏螺旋体B31的一个28 kb线性质粒（lp28-1）含有一个vmp样序列（vls）位点，该位点与用于回归热病原体抗原变异的可变主要蛋白（vmp）系统非常相似。在感染C3H/HeN小鼠期间，位于vlsE上游的15个非表达（沉默）vls盒序列中的几个部分重组到中央vlsE盒区域，导致表达的脂蛋白发生抗原变异。这种组合变异可能在哺乳动物宿主中产生数百万种抗原变体。
