Quorum sensing by the Lyme disease spirochete

Microbes Infect. 2003 Sep;5(11):991-7. doi: 10.1016/s1286-4579(03)00184-9.

Abstract

The Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, utilizes a LuxS/autoinducer-2-dependent quorum sensing mechanism to control a specific subset of bacterial proteins. It is hypothesized that this system facilitates transmission of B. burgdorferi from feeding ticks into warm-blooded hosts.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism*
  • Borrelia burgdorferi / genetics
  • Borrelia burgdorferi / metabolism*
  • Borrelia burgdorferi / physiology
  • Carbon-Sulfur Lyases
  • Humans
  • Lyme Disease / microbiology
  • Lyme Disease / transmission*

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Carbon-Sulfur Lyases
  • LuxS protein, Bacteria