Global transcriptome analysis of Borrelia burgdorferi during association with human neuroglial cells.

National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne, and Enteric Diseases, Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases, Bacterial Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521, USA.

As adherence and entry of a pathogen into a host cell are key components to an infection, identifying the molecular mechanisms responsible for cellular association will provide a better understanding of a microbe's pathogenesis. We previously established an in vitro model for Borrelia burgdorferi infection of human neuroglial cells. To expand on our earlier study, we performed B. burgdorferi whole-genome expression analysis following a 20-hour infection of human neuroglial cells to identify borrelial genes that were differentially regulated during host-cell association compared with cultured Borrelia in cell-free medium. This study identifies several regulated genes, the products of which may be important mediators of cellular pathogenesis.

PMID: 17984208 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

PMCID: PMC2223675