Development and utilization of Treponema pallidum expressing green fluorescent protein to study spirochete-host interactions and antibody-mediated clearance: expanding the toolbox for syphilis research.

ABSTRACT: Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the highly invasive and immunoevasive spirochetal pathogen Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum (TPA). Untreated syphilis can lead to infection of multiple organ systems, including the central nervous system. The alarming increase in syphilis cases globally underscores the importance of developing novel strategies to understand the complexities of syphilis pathogenesis. In this study, we took advantage of recent advances in in vitro cultivation and genetic manipulation of syphilis spirochetes to engineer a TPA strain that constitutively expresses green fluorescent protein (GFP). GFP⁺ TPA grew identically to the Nichols parent strain in vitro and exhibited wild-type infectivity i

SUBMITTER: Delgado KN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11708019 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature