# LYME DISEASE SPIROCHETES IN TICK ORGAN AND CELL CULTURE

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · 1992 · $104,670

## Abstract

Lyme disease, a tick-borne borreliosis of man, has become the most common
vector-borne disease in the US.  Passage of the pathogen through its
vector, Ixodes ticks, is responsible for transmission in the majority of
cases and enhances infectivity and pathogenicity.  The goal of the
proposed research is to elucidate the factors that enable the causative
agent, Borrelia burgdorferi, to invade the tick, colonize its gut lumen
and penetrate the gut wall to spread to other organs such as salivary
glands and ovaries.  A better understanding of the tick- spirochete
relationship could lead to methods that block acquisition of infection
and transmission by ticks.  The specific aims are to examine the
interaction of tick cells and borreliae at the cellular, molecular and
ultrastructural level.  This will be accomplished by cocultivating
borreliae with tick cell lines and organ cultures.  Adherence to and
penetration of cells as well as cytopathogenicity will be monitored using
radiolabelled borreliae and light and electron microscopy.  Findings will
be linked to changes in plasmid profile, outer surface proteins (Osp) A
and B, morphotype of colonies on solid medium, and hamster infectivity
and pathogenicity.  The role of membrane components will be examined
using polyclonal antisera, monoclonal antibodies against OspA and B, and
lectins in binding inhibition assays and immunochemical/histochemical
techniques.  Specific inhibitors of borrelial and cellular metabolism as
well as live or killed cells and spirochetes will be used to analyze the
nature (specific vs non-specific) of spirochete-cell interaction, and to
determine whether it is controlled at the transcriptional or
translational level.  The effect of cultivation in the presence or
absence of tick cells will be examined with respect to infectivity,
plasmid profile and colony morphotype.  Evidence for antigenic variation
will be sought in switching (disappearance and reoccurrence) of specific
colony types and expression of OspA and B.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3158330
- **Project number:** 5R01AR037909-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
- **SAM.gov UEI:** KABJZBBJ4B54
- **Principal Investigator:** TIMOTHY John KURTTI
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1992
- **Award amount:** $104,670
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1988-04-01 → 1994-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3158330

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3158330, LYME DISEASE SPIROCHETES IN TICK ORGAN AND CELL CULTURE (5R01AR037909-05). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-24 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3158330. Licensed CC0.

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