Borrelia burgdorferi Outer Membrane Vesicles Contain Antigenic Proteins, but Do Not Induce Cell Death in Human Cells.

ABSTRACT: Like many bacterial species, Borrelia burgdorferi, the pleomorphic bacterium that causes Lyme borreliosis, produces outer membrane vesicles (OMVs). Borrelial OMVs (BbOMVs) have been identified as containing virulence factors, such as outer surface proteins (Osps) A, B, and C, as well as DNA. However, the pathogenicity of BbOMVs in disease development is still unclear. In this study, we characterized purified BbOMVs by analyzing their size and immunolabeling for known antigenic markers: OspA, OspC, p39, and peptidoglycan. In addition, BbOMVs were cocultured with human non-immune cells for cytotoxicity analysis. The results demonstrated that, on average, the vesicles were small, ranging between 11 and 108 nm in diameter. In addition, both OspA and OspC, as well as Lyme arthritis markers p39

SUBMITTER: Karvonen K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8878412 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature