Immune evasion of Borrelia burgdorferi

[Guest guest]

I know immune evasion of Bb has often been mentioned. I also know heparin has been used by some people as per Berg (Hemex) to counteract the hypercoag situation people with chronic I & I find themselves in.

Has heparin treatment been discussed in this context?

Nelly

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstract & list_uids=12616490 & query_hl=1

Eur J Immunol. 2003 Mar;33(3):697-707.

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Immune evasion of Borrelia burgdorferi: mapping of a complement-inhibitor factor H-binding site of BbCRASP-3, a novel member of the Erp protein family.Kraiczy P, Hellwage J, Skerka C, Kirschfink M, Brade V, Zipfel PF, Wallich R.Institute of Medical Microbiology, University Hospital of furt, -Ehrlich-Strasse 40, D-60596 furt, Germany. Kraiczy@...The causative agents of Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi s.s., B. garinii, and B. afzelii, differ in their susceptibility to complement-mediated lysis. This phenomenon apparently depends on the expression of proteins termed complement regulator-acquiring surface proteins (CRASP) and their binding to the inhibitory plasma proteins factor H and FHL-1. To characterize these bacterial proteins in more detail we have now isolated from a B. burgdorferi expression library a novel factor H-binding protein. In accordance with our previous studies this protein was termed BbCRASP-3 and represents a novel member of the polymorphic Erp (OspE/F-related) protein family. On the basis of protease accessibility assays using intact spirochetes, BbCRASP-3 is identified as a surface-exposed protein and binds the C-terminal short consensus repeats of factor H. Applying deletion mutants of BbCRASP-3, the factor H-binding site was mapped to the nine-amino-acid motif LEVLKKNLK localized at the C-terminal end of BbCRASP-3. ******Factor H bound to BbCRASP-3 maintains its cofactor activity in factor I-mediated C3b inactivation. *******Binding of BbCRASP-3 to factor H can be inhibited by heparin, a physiological ligand of the complement regulator factor H.******* Blocking of factor-H-binding by soluble BbCRASP-3 leads to an increase of complement deposition on intermediate serum-resistant strain ZS7. In conclusion, BbCRASP-3 has been identified as a novel factor H-binding protein on B. burgdorferi which by conferring complement resistance to the pathogen may contribute to its persistence in the mammalian host.PMID: 12616490 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]