{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,7]],"date-time":"2026-10-07T00:44:45Z","timestamp":1791333885952,"version":"4.3.1"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,2,24]],"date-time":"2023-02-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1677196800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/publicdomain\/zero\/1.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"NIH","award":["AI137412 and AI123651"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["AI137412 and AI123651"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000030","name":"Centers for Disease Control and Prevention","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000030","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:p><jats:italic>Borrelia miyamotoi<\/jats:italic> is a tick-transmitted spirochete that is genetically grouped with relapsing fever <jats:italic>Borrelia<\/jats:italic> and possesses multiple archived pseudogenes that encode variable major proteins (Vmps). Vmps are divided into two groups based on molecular size; variable large proteins (Vlps) and variable small proteins (Vsps). Relapsing fever <jats:italic>Borrelia<\/jats:italic> undergo Vmp gene conversion at a single expression locus to generate new serotypes by antigenic switching which is the basis for immune evasion that causes relapsing fever in patients. This study focused on <jats:italic>B<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>miyamotoi vmp<\/jats:italic> expression when spirochetes were subjected to antibody killing selection pressure. We incubated a low passage parent strain with mouse anti-<jats:italic>B<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>miyamotoi<\/jats:italic> polyclonal antiserum which killed the majority population, however, antibody-resistant reisolates were recovered. PCR analysis of the gene expression locus in the reisolates showed <jats:italic>vsp1<\/jats:italic> was replaced by Vlp-encoded genes. Gel electrophoresis protein profiles and immunoblots of the reisolates revealed additional Vlps indicating that new serotype populations were selected by antibody pressure. Sequencing of amplicons from the expression locus of the reisolates confirmed the presence of a predominant majority serotype population with minority variants. These findings confirm previous work demonstrating gene conversion in <jats:italic>B<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>miyamotoi<\/jats:italic> and that multiple serotype populations expressing different <jats:italic>vmps<\/jats:italic> arise when subjected to antibody selection. The findings also provide evidence for spontaneous serotype variation emerging from culture growth in the absence of antibody pressure. Validation and determination of the type, number, and frequency of serotype variants that arise during animal infections await further investigations.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0281942","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,2,24]],"date-time":"2023-02-24T18:47:58Z","timestamp":1677264478000},"page":"e0281942","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":10,"title":["Analysis of variable major protein antigenic variation in the relapsing fever spirochete, Borrelia miyamotoi, in response to polyclonal antibody selection pressure"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8687-9535","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Robert D.","family":"Gilmore","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0895-0567","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Brittany A.","family":"Armstrong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kevin S.","family":"Brandt","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Taylor J.","family":"Van Gundy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andrias","family":"Hojgaard","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Job E.","family":"Lopez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6243-4096","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Alexander R.","family":"Kneubehl","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,2,24]]},"reference":[{"issue":"4","key":"pone.0281942.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"804","DOI":"10.1099\/00207713-45-4-804","article-title":"Genetic and phenotypic analysis of Borrelia miyamotoi sp. nov., isolated from the ixodid tick Ixodes persulcatus, the vector for Lyme disease in Japan","volume":"45","author":"M Fukunaga","year":"1995","journal-title":"Int J Syst Bacteriol"},{"issue":"10","key":"pone.0281942.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1816","DOI":"10.3201\/eid1710.101474","article-title":"Humans infected with relapsing fever spirochete Borrelia miyamotoi, Russia","volume":"17","author":"AE Platonov","year":"2011","journal-title":"Emerg Infect Dis"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0281942.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"91","DOI":"10.7326\/M15-0333","article-title":"Borrelia miyamotoi Disease in the Northeastern United States: A Case Series","volume":"163","author":"PJ Molloy","year":"2015","journal-title":"Ann Intern Med"},{"issue":"4","key":"pone.0281942.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"891","DOI":"10.1603\/ME10283","article-title":"Acquisition and subsequent transmission of Borrelia hermsii by the soft tick Ornithodoros hermsi","volume":"48","author":"JE Lopez","year":"2011","journal-title":"J Med Entomol"},{"issue":"5","key":"pone.0281942.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1297","DOI":"10.1084\/jem.156.5.1297","article-title":"Antigenic variation of Borrelia hermsii","volume":"156","author":"HG Stoenner","year":"1982","journal-title":"J Exp Med"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0281942.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"29","DOI":"10.1093\/infdis\/117.1.29","article-title":"Experimental relapsing fever initiated by Borrelia hermsi. 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