Invasion of eukaryotic cells by Borrelia burgdorferi requires β(1) integrins and Src kinase activity.

ABSTRACT: Lyme disease, caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, is the most widespread tick-borne infection in the northern hemisphere that results in a multistage disorder with concomitant pathology, including arthritis. During late-stage experimental infection in mice, B. burgdorferi evades the adaptive immune response despite the presence of borrelia-specific bactericidal antibodies. In this study we asked whether B. burgdorferi could invade fibroblasts or endothelial cells as a mechanism to model the avoidance from humorally based clearance. A variation of the gentamicin protection assay, coupled with the detection of borrelial transcripts following gentamicin treatment, indicated that a portion of B. burgdorferi cells were protected in the short term from antibiotic killing due to their a

SUBMITTER: Wu J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3067508 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature