JCI - OspC facilitates Borrelia burgdorferi invasion of Ixodes scapularis salivary glands

OspC facilitates Borrelia burgdorferi invasion of Ixodes scapularis salivary glands

Utpal Pal, Xiaofeng Yang, Manchuan Chen, Linda K. Bockenstedt, John F. Anderson, Richard A. Flavell, Michael V. Norgard, Erol Fikrig

Published in Volume 113, Issue 2

J Clin Invest. 2004; 113(2):220–230 doi:10.1172/JCI19894

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Figure 1

OspC binds to I. scapularis salivary glands. (a) FITC-labeled OspC (black bars), ErpT from B. burgdorferi N40 (white bars), and BSA (gray bars) were used to probe SGE- or FBS-coated wells. Data represent the OD₄₅₀ at 15 minutes (mean ± SEM, n = 3). The differences between the binding of OspC to SGE and its binding to BSA or ErpT are highly significant (P < 0.001). (b) Direct binding of FITC-labeled OspC to the intact unfixed tick salivary gland was detected using confocal microscopy. FITC-labeled ErpT and FITC-labeled BSA were used as controls. After the tick salivary gland was probed with FITC-labeled protein (shown in green), the tissues were stained with propidium iodide to localize the nuclei of the salivary gland cells (shown in red). The objects stained green in the ErpT and BSA panels are not a part of the salivary gland. The endogenous weak green fluorescence of tick salivary glands was adjusted in the confocal microscope to compare the binding of different FITC-labeled antigens. The FITC and propidium iodide images were examined at ×400 magnification and are presented as merged images for clarity (n = 3).