Analysis of host cell binding specificity mediated by the Tp0136 adhesin of the syphilis agent Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Syphilis affects approximately 11 million people each year globally, and is the third most prevalent sexually transmitted bacterial infection in the United States. Inability to independently culture and genetically manipulate Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum, the causative agent of this disease, has hindered our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of syphilis pathogenesis. Here, we used the non-infectious and poorly adherent B314 strain of the Lyme disease-causing spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, to express two variants of a known fibronectin-binding adhesin, Tp0136, from T. pallidum SS14 and Nichols strains. Using this surrogate system, we investigated the ability of Tp0136 in facilitating differential binding to mammalian cell lines offering insight into the p

SUBMITTER: Djokic V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6529012 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature