The Borrelial Fibronectin-Binding Protein RevA Is an Early Antigen of Human Lyme Disease

Abstract

Previous studies using small numbers of serum samples from human patients and experimentally infected animals identified the frequent presence of antibodies recognizing RevA, a borrelial fibronectinbinding outer surface protein. We now demonstrate that most examined Lyme disease spirochetes from North America and Europe contain genes encoding RevA proteins, some with extensive regions of conservation and others with moderate diversity. Line blot analyses using recombinant RevA from two diverse Lyme disease spirochetes of RevA and serum samples from culture-confirmed human Lyme disease patients from the United States (n ‫؍‬ 46, mainly with early Lyme disease) and Germany (>500, with early and late manifestations of Lyme disease) were performed. The results indicated that a sizable proportion of patients produced antibodies that recognized recombinant RevA. Overall, RevA-based serological studies were less sensitive and less specific than other assay types, such as the VlsE-based C6 peptide assay. However, sera from patients in the initial stages of Lyme disease contained antibodies against RevA, demonstrating that this protein is expressed early in human infection. Thus, RevA may be a useful target for preventative or curative therapies.

Borrelia burgdorferi cp32 BpaB Modulates Expression of the Prophage NucP Nuclease and SsbP Single-Stranded DNA-Binding Protein

“…The cp32 elements of Lyme disease spirochetes, such as B. burgdorferi, are of particular interest, since they encode Erp, RevA, and Mlp lipoproteins. These bacterial surface proteins are produced by the bacterium during mammalian infection, and those with known functions serve as adhesins for host components, such as plasmin(ogen), laminin, and complement factor H (1,7,8,9,10,13,22,25,26,32,33,38,42,43,49,63). Sequences of the erp, revA, and mlp loci generally vary between different cp32s (Fig.…”

BBA70 of Borrelia burgdorferi Is a Novel Plasminogen-binding Protein

“…Immunogenicity of BBA70 was tested using control and infected mouse serum as described previously (48). Briefly, 1:800 dilutions of mouse serum were incubated with protein-coated nitrocellulose strips at room temperature for 2 h. Antibodies directed against BBA70 were detected by secondary incubation with donkey anti-mouse IgG/HRP diluted 1:25,000 (Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc.).…”

Allelic Variation of the Lyme Disease Spirochete Adhesin DbpA Influences Spirochetal Binding to Decorin, Dermatan Sulfate, and Mammalian Cells

“…B. burgdorferi attaches to a wide variety of cells in vitro, including epithelial, endothelial, and glial cells, platelets, and lymphocytes (12,13,18,19,51,52). In addition, multiple host cell and extracellular matrix molecules are recognized by B. burgdorferi, such as integrins (10), fibronectin (6,21,43), laminin (7,53), collagen (61), and proteoglycans (24,30,33). Proteoglycans consist of a protein core covalently linked to one or more glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chains, which are long linear repeating disaccharides (for a review, see reference 34).…”