Virginia Tech
From Structure, to Function, to Pathogenesis: Understanding the Immunological Consequences of The Unique Peptidoglycan of Borrelia burgdorferi
Abstract
dc:description.abstractThe bacterial pathogen responsible for Lyme disease ¬— Borrelia burgdorferi— is an atypical Gram-negative spirochete that is transmitted to humans via the bite of an infected Ixodes tick. Like all Gram-negative bacteria the structural portion of the cell envelope known as peptidoglycan (PG) is sandwiched between the inner and outer membranes. Unlike virtually all bacteria, this PG layer is unique in B. burgdorferi in that the amino acid structure differs from most Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria by the addition of an Ornithine residue to the third amino acid location in the crosslinking structure. This unique motif is hypothesized to be responsible for the unusual clinical manifestations seen in Lyme disease, specifically Lyme arthritis, the most common late stage symptom of the disease in the United States. Peptidoglycan is only one component of the cell envelope in B. burgdorferi though; other portions of the cell envelope remain understudied specifically when viewed through the lens of the immune response they may elicit in addition to that of PG. The combined immunological effect of the unique bacterial antigen found in B. burgdorferi PG, as well as other potentially associated proteins contained within the cell wall, are explored here. These studies further our understanding of the B. burgdorferi cell envelope and provide critical information that underlies the elusive pathogenesis of Lyme disease.
Degree
thesis:*- Name thesis:degree_name
- Master of Science in Life Sciences
- Level thesis:degree_level
- masters
- Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
- Biochemistry
- Department dc:contributor.department
- Biochemistry
- Grantor dc:publisher
- Virginia Tech
- Year dc:date.issued
- 2020
Author and committee
dc:creator, dc:contributor.*- Author dc:creator
-
- Davis, Marisela Martinez
- Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
-
- Jutras, Brandon L.
- Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
-
- Jones, Caroline N.
- Tu, Zhijian Jake
Subjects
dc:subject × 4Rights
dc:rights- Statement dc:rights
-
- In Copyright
- Licence dc:rights.uri
Identifiers
dc:identifier.*- Dc Identifier Other
- vt_gsexam:25863
- OAI identifier oai:identifier
- oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/98522