Molecular Evidence for a New Bacteriophage ofBorrelia burgdorferi

ABSTRACT We have recovered a DNase-protected, chloroform-resistant molecule of DNA from the cell-free supernatant of a Borrelia burgdorferi culture. The DNA is a 32-kb double-stranded linear molecule that is derived from the 32-kb circular plasmids (cp32s) of the B. burgdorferi genome. Electron microscopy of samples from which the 32-kb DNA molecule was purified revealed bacteriophage particles. The bacteriophage has a polyhedral head with a diameter of 55 nm and appears to have a simple 100-nm-long tail. The phage is produced constitutively at low levels from growing cultures of someB. burgdorferi strains and is inducible to higher levels with 10 μg of 1-methyl-3-nitroso-nitroguanidine (MNNG) ml−1. In addition, the prophage can be induced with MNNG from some Borrelia isolates that do not naturally produce phage. We have isolated and partially characterized the phage associated with B. burgdorferi CA-11.2A. To our knowledge, this is the first molecular characterization of a bacteriophage ofB. burgdorferi.

[1]  H. Ackermann.  Tailed Bacteriophages: The Order Caudovirales , 1998, Advances in Virus Research.

[2]  G. Fadda,et al.  Bacteriophages induced from weakly beta‐haemolytic human intestinal spirochaetes by mitomycin C , 1998, Journal of basic microbiology.

[3]  R. Bodmer,et al.  Large- and small-scale preparation of bacteriophage λ lysate and DNA , 1998 .

[4]  S. Salzberg,et al.  Genomic sequence of a Lyme disease spirochaete, Borrelia burgdorferi , 1997, Nature.

[5]  J. Bono,et al.  Characterization of cp18, a naturally truncated member of the cp32 family of Borrelia burgdorferi plasmids , 1997, Journal of bacteriology.

[6]  T. Guina,et al.  Cloning and analysis of a Borrelia burgdorferi membrane‐interactive protein exhibiting haemolytic activity , 1997, Molecular microbiology.

[7]  S. Casjens,et al.  Homology throughout the multiple 32-kilobase circular plasmids present in Lyme disease spirochetes , 1997, Journal of bacteriology.

[8]  R. Zuerner,et al.  Purification and characterization of VSH-1, a generalized transducing bacteriophage of Serpulina hyodysenteriae , 1997, Journal of bacteriology.

[9]  J. Carlyon,et al.  Molecular and evolutionary analyses of a variable series of genes in Borrelia burgdorferi that are related to ospE and ospF, constitute a gene family, and share a common upstream homology box , 1996, Journal of bacteriology.

[10]  M. Li,et al.  Borrelia burgdorferi supercoiled plasmids encode multicopy tandem open reading frames and a lipoprotein gene family , 1996, Journal of bacteriology.

[11]  B. Stevenson,et al.  A family of genes located on four separate 32-kilobase circular plasmids in Borrelia burgdorferi B31 , 1996, Journal of bacteriology.

[12]  W. Zückert,et al.  Circular and linear plasmids of Lyme disease spirochetes have extensive homology: characterization of a repeated DNA element , 1996, Journal of bacteriology.

[13]  S. H. Lin,et al.  Rapid inhibition of protein histidine phosphorylation by UV-irradiation in Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae. , 1995, FEMS microbiology letters.

[14]  T. Stanton,et al.  Mitomycin C induction of bacteriophages from Serpulina hyodysenteriae and Serpulina innocens. , 1995, FEMS microbiology letters.

[15]  J. Karam.  Bacterial and bacteriophage genetics (3rd edn) , 1995 .

[16]  U. Bläsi,et al.  Holins: form and function in bacteriophage lysis. , 1995, FEMS microbiology reviews.

[17]  B. Luft,et al.  Complete nucleotide sequence of a circular plasmid from the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi , 1994, Journal of bacteriology.

[18]  W. Zückert,et al.  Repeated DNA Sequences on Circular and Linear Plasmids of Borrelia Burgdorferi Sensu Lato , 1994 .

[19]  T. A. Sarma,et al.  Isolation and characterization of temperature-sensitive mutants of cyanophage N-1. , 1994, Acta virologica.

[20]  T. Schwan,et al.  Distribution and molecular analysis of Lyme disease spirochetes, Borrelia burgdorferi, isolated from ticks throughout California , 1993, Journal of clinical microbiology.

[21]  T. Schwan,et al.  Identification of a protein in several Borrelia species which is related to OspC of the Lyme disease spirochetes , 1993, Journal of clinical microbiology.

[22]  W. Stolz,et al.  Bacteriophages induced by ciprofloxacin in a Borrelia burgdorferi skin isolate. , 1993, Zentralblatt fur Bakteriologie : international journal of medical microbiology.

[23]  S. Casjens,et al.  Linear chromosomal physical and genetic map of Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme disease agent , 1993, Molecular microbiology.

[24]  P. Rosa,et al.  Regulation of expression of major outer surface proteins in Borrelia burgdorferi , 1993, Infection and immunity.

[25]  R. Marconi,et al.  Transcriptional analyses and mapping of the ospC gene in Lyme disease spirochetes , 1993, Journal of bacteriology.

[26]  C. Garon,et al.  Coumermycin A1 inhibits growth and induces relaxation of supercoiled plasmids in Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme disease agent , 1993, Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

[27]  D. Lilley,et al.  DNA replication, 2nd edn , 1992 .

[28]  U. Göbel,et al.  Genome structure of spirochetes. , 1992, Research in microbiology.

[29]  G. Baranton,et al.  First isolation of bacteriophages for a spirochaete: potential genetic tools for Leptospira. , 1990, Research in microbiology.

[30]  T. Schwan,et al.  Borrelia burgdorferi contains repeated DNA sequences that are species specific and plasmid associated , 1990, Infection and immunity.

[31]  A. Barbour,et al.  Linear plasmids of the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi have covalently closed ends. , 1987, Science.

[32]  N. Sternberg,et al.  Recognition and cleavage of the bacteriophage P1 packaging site (pac). I. Differential processing of the cleaved ends in vivo. , 1987, Journal of Molecular Biology.

[33]  K. G. Hardy.  Plasmids : a practical approach , 1987 .

[34]  A. Barbour,et al.  Biology of Borrelia species. , 1986, Microbiological reviews.

[35]  J. Setlow,et al.  Prophage induction in Haemophilus influenzae and its relationship to mutation by chemical and physical agents. , 1984, Mutation research.

[36]  J. Sambrook,et al.  Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual , 2001 .

[37]  J. P. Davis,et al.  Lyme disease: A tick-borne spirochetosis , 1983 .

[38]  W. Burgdorfer,et al.  Bacteriophage in the Ixodes dammini spirochete, etiological agent of Lyme disease , 1983, Journal of bacteriology.

[39]  A. Steere,et al.  The spirochetal etiology of Lyme disease. , 1983, The New England journal of medicine.

[40]  H. Shinagawa,et al.  Induction of prophage lambda in Escherichia coli recA- strain by N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine. , 1983, Mutation research.

[41]  E. Birge.  Bacterial and Bacteriophage Genetics , 1981, Springer Series in Microbiology.

[42]  T. Kawata,et al.  Bacteriophage‐like particles induced from the Reiter treponeme by mitomycin C , 1979 .

[43]  D. V. Amla.  Mutagenesis of free and intracellular cyanophage AS-1 by ultraviolet, N-methanyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine and acriflavine. , 1979, Mutation research.

[44]  H. Ackermann,et al.  Bacteriophage-like particles associated with a spirochete. , 1979, Canadian journal of microbiology.

[45]  A. E. Ritchie,et al.  A bacteriophage for Treponema hyodysenteriae , 1978, Veterinary Record.

[46]  D. Vapnek,et al.  Electron microscopic analysis of bacteriophages P1, P1Cm, and P7. Determination of genome sizes, sequence homology, and location of antibiotic-resistance determinants. , 1977, Virology.

[47]  R. F. Kimball,et al.  Mutation induction by MNNG in a bacteriophage of Haemophilus influenzae. , 1976, Mutation research.

[48]  J. Wassom,et al.  The new section of mutation research genetic toxicology testing , 1976 .

[49]  M. Gefter,et al.  DNA Replication , 2019, Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology.

[50]  Saheb Sa.  Spirochetal organisms from pigs. 3. Preliminary observations on bacteriophage particles associated with spirochetes of the genus. Treponema. , 1974 .

[51]  S. A. Saheb.  Spirochetal organisms from pigs. 3. Preliminary observations on bacteriophage particles associated with spirochetes of the genus. Treponema. , 1974, Revue canadienne de biologie.

[52]  J. Tomizawa,et al.  Prophage P1, and extrachromosomal replication unit. , 1968, Cold Spring Harbor symposia on quantitative biology.