ArticleMolecular microbiology2020
DksA plays an essential role in regulating the virulence of Borrelia burgdorferi.
Article in Molecular microbiology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers.
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Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- DksA-Dependent Stringent Stress Response Drives Virulence and Gastrointestinal Persistence ofbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Transcription regulator TrtA modulates oxygen stress response inApplied and environmental microbiology · 2025Article
- Virulence Regulation inMicroorganisms · 2025Review
- Analysis of the BadR regulon in Borrelia burgdorferi.BMC microbiology · 2025Article
- Article
- Analysis of bb0556 Expression and Its Role During Borrelia burgdorferi Mammalian Infection.Molecular microbiology · 2024Article
- Assessment of the hypothetical protein BB0616 in the murine infection ofInfection and immunity · 2024Article
- RpoS-Regulated Genes and Phenotypes in the Phytopathogenic BacteriumInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2023Article
- Pathogenicity and virulence ofVirulence · 2023Review
- Role of the Hypothetical Protein BB0563 during Borrelia burgdorferi Infection in Animals.Infection and immunity · 2023Article
- Review
- BB0761, a MepM homolog, contributes to Borrelia burgdorferi cell division and mammalian infectivity.Molecular microbiology · 2022Article
- Global regulator DksA modulates virulence ofVirulence · 2021Article
- PlzA is a bifunctional c-di-GMP biosensor that promotes tick and mammalian host-adaptation of Borrelia burgdorferi.PLoS pathogens · 2021Article
- Virus-Host Interaction GetsInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2021Article
- Interactions between Borrelia burgdorferi and its hosts across the enzootic cycle.Parasite immunology · 2021Review
- DksA-dependent regulation of RpoS contributes to Borrelia burgdorferi tick-borne transmission and mammalian infectivity.PLoS pathogens · 2021Article
- Gene Regulation and Transcriptomics.Current issues in molecular biology · 2021Article
- YebC regulates variable surface antigen VlsE expression and is required for host immune evasion in Borrelia burgdorferi.PLoS pathogens · 2020Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
The RNA polymerase-binding protein DksA, together with the alarmone nucleotides (p)ppGpp, mediates the stringent response to nutrient starvation in Borrelia burgdorferi. To date, the contribution of DksA to B. burgdorferi infection remains unknown. We report here that DksA is essential for B. burgdorferi to infect a mammalian host. dksA expression was highly induced during infection. Moreover, a dksA-deficient mutant was incapable of infecting mice. The mutant displayed growth defects when cultured in vitro and resistance to osmotic pressure was markedly reduced. These phenotypes were fully restored to those of the wild type when dksA mutation was complemented. We further showed that DksA controlled the expression of virulence-associated lipoprotein OspC, likely via the central alternative sigma factor RpoS. Synthesis of RpoS was abolished in the dksA mutant, but rpoS transcription remained unaffected. Additionally, we found that the expression of clpX, clpA, clpP, and clpP2 was significantly increased in the mutant, suggesting that DksA may post-transcriptionally regulate rpoS expression via its effect on ClpXP and/or ClpAP proteases. These combined data demonstrate that DksA regulates B. burgdorferi virulence at least partially through its influence on RpoS and OspC. This study thus elucidates that, in addition to function as a stringent response regulator, DksA promotes the transcription and/or translation of genes contributing to B. burgdorferi infectivity.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.