“The Acetylproteome of the Lyme Disease Pathogen: Implications for Host Adaptation and Pathogenesis”

(Robert Cluss, Middlebury College
Thursday, March 30 3:45 PM
Druckenmiller Hall, room 020

Borrelia burgdorferi has emerged as the most significant vector-borne pathogen in the United States, responsible for over 30,000 reported cases of Lyme disease in 2014. The spirochete cycles between its arthropod vector, the blacklegged tick, and mammalian hosts.  Much of the research effort in the Lyme disease field is focused on identifying virulence determinants of the spirochete and aspects of host immunity that support productive infection, multiplication, and pathology.

The Cluss group at Middlebury College has generated a catalog of B. burgdorferi proteins that are modified by acetylation, which is a well-established covalent modification of proteins affecting structure and function.

In this talk, several enzymes that are acetylated and moonlight as potential virulence factors will be described.  A potential role for acetylation in the natural lifecycle of the spirochete will be considered.