Part:BBa_K3767004
Outer Surface Protein A (OspA) from Borrelia Burgdorferi
Goal/Use: Current Lyme disease testing involves Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test which is used to detect Borrelia Burgfedori antibodies after a tick bite. However, by testing for OspA on the tick itself, we hope to be able to identify an earlier diagnosis for the Borrelia Burgfedori bacterium in the case of a tick bite.
Usage and Biology
Outer surface protein A (OspA) is an abundant lipoprotein that resides on the bacterium Borrelia Burgfedori (Borrelia meaning invasive spiral shaped pathogen), which is carried by ticks and transmitted via a tick bite. Borrelia Burgfedori harbors a plasmid which encodes OspA, which plays a role in the attachment and penetration of the spirochete to the epithelial cells once bitten by the tick(1). The amino acid sequence of OspA begins with residues believed to function as signal sequences for transport, proteolytic processing and lipidation(2). Recent findings have also shown that OspA is important in the inflammation process in Lyme disease, thus possesses both B-cell mitogenic effect and a cytokine-stimulatory effect(1).
OspA is composed with a prolonged fold with 21 anti-parallel beta sheets and a single alpha helix, which are arranged to form the N-terminal, central sheet and C-terminal (3). OspA has a unique folding pattern that includes alternating charge arrays into anti-parallel β-sheet, a potential ligand binding site and a distinctive variable motif (3). OspA normally has a lipidated N-terminal cysteine, a recombinant unlipidated form is soluble in aqueous solution and is still recognized by antibodies from Lyme Disease
Sequence and Features
- 10COMPATIBLE WITH RFC[10]
- 12COMPATIBLE WITH RFC[12]
- 21COMPATIBLE WITH RFC[21]
- 23COMPATIBLE WITH RFC[23]
- 25COMPATIBLE WITH RFC[25]
- 1000COMPATIBLE WITH RFC[1000]
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