Breaking a barrier: In trans vlsE recombination and genetic manipulation of the native vlsE gene of the Lyme disease pathogen.

ABSTRACT: Host-pathogen interactions represent a dynamic evolutionary process, wherein both hosts and pathogens continuously develop complex mechanisms to outmaneuver each other. Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme disease pathogen, has evolved an intricate antigenic variation mechanism to evade the host immune response, enabling its dissemination, persistence, and pathogenicity. Despite the discovery of this mechanism over two decades ago, the precise processes, genetic elements, and proteins involved in this system remain largely unknown. The vls locus, which is the site of antigenic variation, has been notoriously challenging to manipulate genetically due to its highly conserved structural features, even with significant advancements in molecular biology and genetic engineering for this highly segment

SUBMITTER: Singh P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11756760 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature