Download MendeleyErpc, a Member of the Complement Regulator-Acquiring Family of Surface Proteins from Borrelia Burgdorferi, Possesses an Architecture Previously Unseen in This Protein Family.
Caesar, J.J.E., Johnson, S., Kraiczy, P., Lea, S.M.(2013) Acta Crystallogr Sect F Struct Biol Cryst Commun 69: 624
- PubMed: 23722838
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1107/S1744309113013249
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
4BF3 - PubMed Abstract:
Borrelia burgdorferi is a spirochete responsible for Lyme disease, the most commonly occurring vector-borne disease in Europe and North America. The bacterium utilizes a set of proteins, termed complement regulator-acquiring surface proteins (CRASPs), to aid evasion of the human complement system by recruiting and presenting complement regulator factor H on its surface in a manner that mimics host cells. Presented here is the atomic resolution structure of a member of this protein family, ErpC. The structure provides new insights into the mechanism of recruitment of factor H and other factor H-related proteins by acting as a molecular mimic of host glycosaminoglycans. It also describes the architecture of other CRASP proteins belonging to the OspE/F-related paralogous protein family and suggests that they have evolved to bind specific complement proteins, aiding survival of the bacterium in different hosts.
Organizational Affiliation:
Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RE, England.
