Lyme Disease Research

Publications

Selected Lyme Disease Publications

Grassmann AA, Tokarz R, Golino C, McLain MA, Groshong AM, Radolf JD, Caimano MJ.
BosR and PlzA reciprocally regulate RpoS function to sustain Borrelia burgdorferi in ticks and mammals. J Clin Invest. 2023;133(5):e166710. doi:10.1172/JCI166710. PMID: 36649080.

Groshong AM, Grassmann AA, Luthra A, McLain MA, Provatas AA, Radolf JD, Caimano MJ.
PlzA is a bifunctional c-di-GMP biosensor that promotes tick and mammalian host-adaptation of Borrelia burgdorferi. PLoS Pathog. 2021;17(7):e1009725. doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1009725. PMID: 34265024.

Caimano MJ, Groshong AM, Belperron A, Mao J, Hawley KL, Luthra A, Graham DE, Earnhart CG, Marconi RT, Bockenstedt LK, Blevins JS, Radolf JD.
The RpoS gatekeeper in Borrelia burgdorferi: an invariant regulatory scheme that promotes spirochete persistence in reservoir hosts and niche diversity. Front Microbiol. 2019;10:1923. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2019.01923. PMID: 31507550.

Grove AP, Liveris D, Iyer R, Petzke M, Rudman J, Caimano MJ, Radolf JD, Schwartz I.
Two distinct mechanisms govern RpoS-mediated repression of tick-phase genes during mammalian host adaptation by Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme disease spirochete. mBio. 2017;8(4):e01204-17. doi:10.1128/mBio.01204-17. PMID: 28830947.

Caimano MJ, Drecktrah D, Kung F, Samuels DS.
Interaction of the Lyme disease spirochete with its tick vector. Cell Microbiol. 2016;18(7):919-27. doi:10.1111/cmi.12609. PMID: 27147446.

Gulia-Nuss M, et al.
Genomic insights into the Ixodes scapularis tick vector of Lyme disease. Nat Commun. 2016;7:10507. doi:10.1038/ncomms10507. PMID: 26856261.

Bauer WJ, Luthra A, Zhu G, Radolf JD, Malkowski MG, Caimano MJ.
Structural characterization and modeling of the Borrelia burgdorferi hybrid histidine kinase Hk1 periplasmic sensor: a system for sensing small molecules associated with tick feeding. J Struct Biol. 2015;192(1):48-58. doi:10.1016/j.jsb.2015.08.006. PMID: 26321039.

Caimano MJ, Dunham-Ems S, Allard AM, Cassera MB, Kenedy M, Radolf JD.
Cyclic di-GMP modulates gene expression in Lyme disease spirochetes at the tick-mammal interface to promote spirochete survival during the blood meal and tick-to-mammal transmission. Infect Immun. 2015;83(8):3043-60. doi:10.1128/IAI.00315-15. PMID: 25987708.

Iyer R, Caimano MJ, Luthra A, Axline D Jr, Corona A, Iacobas DA, Radolf JD, Schwartz I.
Stage-specific global alterations in the transcriptomes of Lyme disease spirochetes during tick feeding and following mammalian host adaptation. Mol Microbiol. 2015;95(3):509-38. doi:10.1111/mmi.12882. PMID: 25425211.

Brandt KS, Patton TG, Allard AS, Caimano MJ, Radolf JD, Gilmore RD.
Evaluation of the Borrelia burgdorferi BBA64 protein as a protective immunogen in mice. Clin Vaccine Immunol. 2014;21(4):526-33. doi:10.1128/CVI.00800-13. PMID: 24501342.

Miller KA, Motaleb MA, Liu J, Hu B, Caimano MJ, Miller MR, Charon NW.
Initial characterization of the FlgE hook high molecular weight complex of Borrelia burgdorferi. PLoS ONE.2014;9(5):e98338. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0098338. PMID: 24859001.

Salman-Dilgimen A, Hardy P-O, Radolf JD, Caimano MJ, Chaconas G.
HrpA, an RNA helicase involved in RNA processing, is required for mouse infectivity and tick transmission of the Lyme disease spirochete. PLoS Pathog. 2013;9(12):e1003841. doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1003841. PMID: 24367266.

Radolf JD.
Pulling the trigger on Lyme arthritis. J Infect Dis. 2013;207(6):877-9. doi:10.1093/infdis/jis931. PMID: 23303814.

Dunham-Ems SM, Caimano MJ, Eggers CH, Radolf JD.
*Borrelia burgdorferi* requires the alternative sigma factor RpoS for dissemination within the vector during tick-to-mammal transmission. PLoS Pathog. 2012;8(2):e1002532. doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1002532. PMID: 22359504.

Harman MW, Dunham-Ems SM, Caimano MJ, Belperron AA, Bockenstedt LK, Fu HC, Radolf JD, Wolgemuth CW.
The heterogeneous motility of the Lyme disease spirochete in gelatin mimics dissemination through tissue. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012;109(8):3059-64. doi:10.1073/pnas.1114362109. PMID: 22315410.

Hawley KL, Olson CM Jr, Iglesias-Pedraz JM, Navasa N, Cervantes JL, Caimano MJ, Izadi H, Ingalls RR, Pal U, Salazar JC, Radolf JD, Anguita J.
CD14 cooperates with complement receptor 3 to mediate MyD88-independent phagocytosis of Borrelia burgdorferi. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012;109(4):1228-32. doi:10.1073/pnas.1119058109. PMID: 22232682.

Radolf JD, Caimano MJ, Stevenson B, Hu LT.
Of ticks, mice and men: understanding the dual-host lifestyle of Lyme disease spirochaetes. Nat Rev Microbiol.2012;10(2):87-99. doi:10.1038/nrmicro2714. PMID: 22230951.

Eggers CH, Caimano MJ, Malizia RA, Kariu T, Cusack B, Desrosiers DC, Hazlett KR, Claiborne A, Pal U, Radolf JD.
The coenzyme A disulphide reductase of Borrelia burgdorferi is important for rapid growth throughout the enzootic cycle and essential for infection of the mammalian host. Mol Microbiol. 2011;82(3):679-97. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2958.2011.07845.x. PMID: 21923763.

Pappas CJ, Iyer R, Petzke MM, Caimano MJ, Radolf JD, Schwartz I.
*Borrelia burgdorferi* requires glycerol for maximum fitness during the tick phase of the enzootic cycle. PLoS Pathog. 2011;7(7):e1002102. doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1002102. PMID: 21750672.

Caimano MJ, Kenedy MR, Kairu T, Desrosiers DC, Harman M, Dunham-Ems S, Akins DR, Pal U, Radolf JD.
The hybrid histidine kinase Hk1 is part of a two-component system that is essential for survival of Borrelia burgdorferi in feeding Ixodes scapularis ticks. Infect Immun. 2011;79(8):3117-30. doi:10.1128/IAI.05136-11. PMID: 21606185.

Banik S, Terekhova D, Iyer R, Pappas CJ, Caimano MJ, Radolf JD, Schwartz I.
BB0844, an RpoS-regulated protein, is dispensable for Borrelia burgdorferi infectivity and maintenance in the mouse-tick infectious cycle. Infect Immun. 2011;79(3):1208-17. doi:10.1128/IAI.01156-10. PMID: 21173312.

Xu H, Caimano MJ, Lin T, He M, Radolf JD, Norris SJ, Gherardini F, Wolfe AJ, Yang XF.
Role of acetyl-phosphate in activation of the Rrp2-RpoN-RpoS pathway in Borrelia burgdorferi. PLoS Pathog.2010;6(9):e1001104. doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1001104. PMID: 20862323.

Samuels DS, Radolf JD.
Who is the BosR around here anyway?. Mol Microbiol. 2009;74(6):1295-9. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2958.2009.06952.x. PMID: 19943896.

Dunham-Ems S, Caimano MJ, Pal U, Wolgemuth CW, Eggers CH, Balic A, Radolf JD.
Live imaging reveals a novel, biphasic mode of dissemination of Borrelia burgdorferi within ticks. J Clin Invest.2009;119:3652-65. doi:10.1172/JCI38939. PMID: 19920352.

Mulay VB, Caimano MJ, Iyer R, Ems S, Liveris D, Petzke MM, Schwartz I, Radolf JD.
*Borrelia burgdorferi* bba74 is expressed exclusively during tick feeding and is regulated by both arthropod- and mammalian host-specific signals. J Bacteriol. 2009;191:2783-94. doi:10.1128/JB.01793-08. PMID: 19218390.

Radolf JD, Caimano MJ.
MicroCommentary: The long strange trip of Borrelia burgdorferi OspC. Mol Microbiol. 2008;69:1-4. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2958.2008.06262.x. PMID: 18399935.

Caimano MJ, Iyer R, Eggers CH, Gonzalez C, Morton EA, Gilbert MA, Schwartz I, Radolf JD.
Analysis of the RpoS regulon in Borrelia burgdorferi in response to mammalian host signals provides insight into RpoS function during the enzootic cycle. Mol Microbiol. 2007;65:1193-1217. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2958.2007.05860.x. PMID: 17645733.