Further studies will be needed to identify IM retention signals of natural B. burgdorferi lipoproteins

#MM-102 purchase randurls[1|1|,|CHEM1|]# such as OppAIV [4, 18]. With few exceptions, mutants were detected at significantly lower levels than both OspA28:mRFP1 and OspA20:mRFP1, despite being expressed from an identical promoter. Interestingly, this phenotype tended to cluster with class +++ surface-localized proteins, e.g. OspA20:mRFP1VR, OspA20:mRFP1WI or OspA20:mRFP1FW (Figures 3A and 4). Based on structural data on the mRFP1 parent molecule DsRed, the mutated residues coincide with the transition from the fusion protein’s flexible tether to the structurally confined red fluorescent protein β-barrel [23]. Amino acid substitutions, particularly with large bulky amino acids such as Trp or Phe therefore may compromise the protein fold. Based on our recent discovery that translocation of OspA through the borrelial OM requires an unfolded

conformation [21], we propose that the structural instability of mutants contributes to their ultimate surface localization. Conclusions Since their inception, fluorescence-based analytical and preparative methods such as flow cytometry (FCT) and FACS have reached beyond the realm of immunology. FCT already has seen several applications in spirochetal systems, predominantly in selleck compound deciphering gene regulation mechanisms [22, 24, 25], but also in probing membrane characteristics [26]. Various FACS-based methods such as differential fluorescence induction (DFI; [27]) have been used in different ALOX15 bacterial systems to identify virulence factors important for different pathogenic processes such as invasion and intracellular survival (reviewed in [28]). Building on the earlier development of recombinant DNA technology [14] and fluorescent reporter genes [4, 29, 30], this study expands the application of FACS to the study of protein transport mechanisms. Similar FACS-based approaches are perceivable

to study secretion of other microbial proteins localizing to the host-pathogen interface. The demonstrated ability to sort live B. burgdorferi cells for a particular fluorescent phenotype also opens the door to DFI studies, i.e. the trapping of promoters that are active during different stages in the complex multi-host life cycle of this medically important spirochete. Acknowledgements This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (Grant AI063261 to WRZ). We thank Christine Whetstine for expert technical assistance, Patricia Rosa, Alan Barbour, Patrick Viollier, Melissa Caimano and Darrin Akins for reagents, and Kristina Bridges for stimulating discussions and comments on the manuscript. Electronic supplementary material Additional file 1: Table S1. Phenotypes of OspA20:mRFP1 fusion mutants (PDF 59 KB) Additional file 2: Figures S1 and S2. Protease accessibility and membrane localization of OspA:mRFP1 fusion mutants. (PDF 1 MB) References 1.