Faculty Collaboration Database

Diverse Lyme disease spirochetes bind integrin alpha IIb beta 3 on human platelets. Infect Immun 1994 Dec;62(12):5559-67

Date

12/01/1994

Pubmed ID

7525486

Pubmed Central ID

PMC303302

DOI

10.1128/iai.62.12.5559-5567.1994

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-0028062089 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   67 Citations

Abstract

Lyme disease is a chronic, multisystemic infection caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. An infectious strain of B. burgdorferi was previously shown to bind to human platelets via the integrin alpha IIb beta 3. In this study, a diverse group of Lyme disease spirochetes was tested for platelet- and alpha IIb beta 3-binding activity. This collection included representatives of each of the three species that cause Lyme disease, B. burgdorferi (sensu stricto), B. garinii, and B. afzelii. Strains were characterized for infectivity in mouse models or were low-passage isolates from human patients. Each of the 11 infectious strains bound to platelets immobilized in microtiter wells and in suspension. Binding to platelets in suspension was specifically inhibited by a blocking anti-alpha IIb beta 3 antibody, and representatives of each species bound to purified alpha IIb beta 3. The strains that did not bind alpha IIb beta 3 or platelets were all noninfectious. No obvious relationship was observed between binding to platelets and expression of the bacterial outer surface protein OspA, OspB, or OspC, as assessed by immunoblotting. These results demonstrate that integrin alpha IIb beta 3-binding activity is widespread among the Borrelia species that cause Lyme disease and are consistent with a role for alpha IIb beta 3 binding in the transmission and/or pathogenesis of Lyme disease.

Author List

Coburn J, Barthold SW, Leong JM

Author

Jenifer Coburn PhD Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Antigens, Bacterial
Antigens, Surface
Bacterial Adhesion
Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins
Bacterial Vaccines
Blood Platelets
Borrelia burgdorferi Group
Gene Expression
Integrins
Lipoproteins
Phenotype
Platelet Glycoprotein GPIIb-IIIa Complex
Species Specificity
Virulence