Abstract
- Borrelia burgdorferi is a Gram-negative, tick-borne bacterium, and the causative agent of Lyme disease. This spirochete is maintained in an enzootic life cycle and does not exist outside its tick vector or animal host (1). Consequently, it has limited biosynthetic capabilities and relies heavily on its host for essential nutrients (2). Because of its heavy reliance on host nutrients, culturing B. burgdorferi involves the use of a nutrient rich medium as well as careful aseptic technique, in order to prevent contamination. One nutrient essential to spirochete survival is N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc). GlcNAc must be obtained by the spirochete for cell wall synthesis and cell energy. The subject of our research includes investigating the means in which B. burgdorferi obtains GlcNAc from its environment. It has been found that an abundance of bound GlcNAc exists in the Ixodes tick in the form of the polymer chitin. Chitin is an important component of the peritrophic membrane, a protective layer that surrounds the blood meal in the tick midgut (3). It was found in Dr. Rhodes’ previous research that the B. burgdorferi bacterium has the ability to obtain GlcNAc from chitin, therefore suggesting that it possesses a chitinase-like enzyme (4). My research in the lab will further evaluate this bacterial chitinase activity in order to provide evidence of the ability of B. burgdorferi to obtain GlcNAc from chitin in its vector host, and we are requesting $295.07 to support this work.