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Regulation of Gene and Protein Expression in the Lyme Disease Spirochete

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Spirochete Biology: The Post Genomic Era

Part of the book series: Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology ((CT MICROBIOLOGY,volume 415))

Abstract

The infectious cycle of Borrelia burgdorferi necessitates persistent infection of both vertebrates and ticks, and efficient means of transmission between those two very different types of hosts. The Lyme disease spirochete has evolved mechanisms to sense its location in the infectious cycle, and use that information to control production of the proteins and other factors required for each step. Numerous components of borrelial regulatory pathways have been characterized to date. Their effects are being pieced together, thereby providing glimpses into a complex web of cooperative and antagonistic interactions. In this chapter, we present a broad overview of B. burgdorferi gene and protein regulation during the natural infectious cycle, discussions of culture-based methods for elucidating regulatory mechanisms, and summaries of many of the known regulatory proteins and small molecules. We also highlight areas that are in need of substantially more research.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Catherine Brissette, Will Arnold, and Christina Savage for their comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, MS 421 Chandler Medical Center, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, 40536-0298, Lexington, KY, USA

    Brian Stevenson

  2. Department of Biology, University of Texas at San Antonio, 78249, San Antonio, TX, USA

    Janakiram Seshu

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Correspondence to Brian Stevenson or Janakiram Seshu .

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  1. Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia

    Ben Adler

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Stevenson, B., Seshu, J. (2017). Regulation of Gene and Protein Expression in the Lyme Disease Spirochete. In: Adler, B. (eds) Spirochete Biology: The Post Genomic Era. Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology, vol 415. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/82_2017_49

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