Serum C3 Enhances Complement Receptor 3-Mediated Phagocytosis of Borrelia burgdorferi

Serum C3 Enhances Complement Receptor 3-Mediated Phagocytosis of Borrelia burgdorferi

Complement receptor (CR) 3 is a bona fide phagocytic receptor for Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme borreliosis [1, 2]. CR3 is also the receptor for the opsonin iC3b, a final degradation product of the complement component C3 [3, 4]. The transit of B. burgdorferi through the blood during the dissemination phase exposes the spirochete to serum components, including complement [5]...

Molecular mechanisms regulating Complement Receptor 3-mediated phagocytosis of Borrelia burgdorferi

CD14 Targets Complement Receptor 3 to Lipid Rafts during Phagocytosis of Borrelia burgdorferi

Phagocytosis of Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, is mediated partly by the interaction of the spirochete with Complement Receptor (CR) 3. CR3 requires the GPI-anchored protein, CD14, in order to efficiently internalize CR3-B. burgdorferi complexes. GPI-anchored proteins reside in cholesterol-rich membrane microdomains, and through its interaction with partner proteins,...

CD14 cooperates with complement receptor 3 to mediate MyD88-independent phagocytosis of Borrelia burgdorferi.

Phagocytosis of Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, is a poorly understood process, despite its importance during the host immune response to infection. B. burgdorferi has been shown to bind to different receptors on the surface of phagocytic cells, including the β(2) integrin, complement receptor 3 (CR3). However, whether these receptors mediate the phagocytosis of the s...

Serum-resistant strains of Borrelia burgdorferi evade complement-mediated killing by expressing a CD59-like complement inhibitory molecule.

Borrelia burgdorferi, the etiological agent of Lyme disease, comprises three genospecies, Borrelia garinii, afzelii, and burgdorferi sensu strictu, that exhibit different pathogenicity and differ in the susceptibility to C-mediated killing. We examined C-sensitive and C-resistant strains of B. burgdorferi for deposition of C3 and late C components by fluorescence microscope and flow cytometry. ...