Gene Regulation During the Enzootic Cycle of the Lyme Disease Spirochete

Borrelia burgdorferi, the spirochete that causes Lyme disease, exists in an enzootic cycle, alternating between a tick vector and a vertebrate host. To adapt to and survive the environmental changes associated with its enzootic cycle, including nutrient availability, B. burgdorferi uses three different systems to regulate the expression of genes: RpoN-RpoS, histidine kinase (Hk)1/response regulator 1 (Rrp1), and Rel_Bbu. The RpoN-RpoS alternative sigma factor cascade activates genes required for transmission from the tick to the vertebrate, maintenance of the vertebrate infection, and persistence in the tick. Rel_Bbu controls the levels of the alarmones guanosine pentaphosphate and guanosine tetraphosphate, which are necessary for surviving the nutrient-deficient conditions in the midgut of the tick following absorption of the blood meal and the subsequent molt. The Hk1/Rrp1 two-component system produces cyclic dimeric guanosine monophosphate that regulates the genes required for the transitions between the tick and vertebrate as well as protective responses to the blood meal.