SUMMARY Borrelia burgdorferi (the agent of Lyme disease) is unusual in that it contains free cholesterol and cholesterol glycolipids. It is also susceptible to complement-independent bactericidal antibodies, such as CB2, a monoclonal IgG1 against outer surface protein B (OspB). The bactericidal action of CB2 requires the presence of cholesterol glycolipids and cholesterol. Through ultrastructural, biochemical and biophysical approaches, we show that these cholesterol glycolipids exist as lipid raft-like microdomains in the outer membrane of cultured and mouse-derived B. burgdorferi, and in model membranes from B. burgdorferi lipids. The order and size of the microdomains of intact cells and model membranes are temperature sensitive and correlate with the bactericidal activity of CB2. Here we demonstrate the existence of cholesterol-containing lipid raft-like microdomains in a prokaryote.

Summary In a microarray analysis of the RpoS regulon in mammalian host-adapted Borrelia burgdorferi, bb0728 (cdr) was found to be dually-transcribed by the sigma factors σ70 and RpoS. The cdr gene encodes a coenzyme A disulfide reductase (CoADR) that reduces CoA-disulfides to CoA in an NADH-dependent manner. Based on the abundance of CoA in B. burgdorferi and the biochemistry of the enzyme, CoADR has been proposed to play a role in the spirochete’s response to reactive oxygen species (ROS). To better understand the physiologic function(s) of Bb CoADR, we generated a B. burgdorferi mutant in which the cdr gene was disrupted. RT-PCR and 5′-RACE analysis revealed that cdr and bb0729 are co-transcribed from a single transcriptional start site upstream of the bb0729 coding sequence; a shuttle vector containing the bb0729-cdr operon and upstream promoter element was used to complement the cdr mutant. Although the mutant was no more sensitive to hydrogen peroxide than its parent, it did exhibit increased sensitivity to high concentrations of t -butyl-hydroperoxide, an oxidizing compound that damages spirochetal membranes. Characterization of the mutant during standard (15% oxygen, 6% CO2) and anaerobic (<1% O2, 9–13% CO2) cultivation at 37°C revealed a growth defect under both conditions that was particularly striking during anaerobiosis. The mutant was avirulent by needle inoculation and showed decreased survival in feeding nymphs, but displayed no survival defect in unfed flat nymphs. Based on these results, we propose that Bb CoADR is necessary to maintain optimal redox ratios for CoA/CoA-disulfide and NAD+/NADH during periods of rapid replication throughout the enzootic cycle, to support thiol-disulfide homeostasis, and to indirectly protect the spirochete against peroxide-mediated membrane damage; one or more of these functions are essential for infection of the mammalian host by B. burgdorferi.

Consistent interindividual differences in behavior (i.e., "behavioral types") may be a key factor in determining the outcome of species interactions. Studies that simultaneously account for the behavioral types of individuals in multiple interacting species, such as predator-prey systems, may be particularly strong predictors of ecological outcomes. Here, we test the predator-prey locomotor crossover hypothesis, which predicts that active predators are more likely to encounter and consume prey with the opposing locomotor tendency. We test this hypothesis using intraspecific behavioral variation in both a predator and prey species as predictors of foraging outcomes. We use the old field jumping spider, (Araneae, Salticidae), and the house cricket, (Orthoptera, Gryllidae), as a model predator-prey system in laboratory mesocosm trials. Stable individual differences in locomotor tendencies were identified in both and, and the outcome of foraging bouts depended neither on the average activity level of the predator nor on the average activity level of prey. Instead, an interaction between the activity level of spiders and crickets predicted spider foraging success and prey survivorship. Consistent with the locomotor crossover hypothesis, predators exhibiting higher activity levels consumed more prey when in an environment containing low-activity prey items and vice versa. This study highlights 1) the importance of intraspecific variation in determining the outcome of predator-prey interactions and 2) that acknowledging behavioral variation in only a single species may be insufficient to characterize the performance consequences of intraspecific trait variants.

Fibroblast growth factor receptors (Fgfrs) have critical roles in kidney development. FgfrIIIb is thought to act in epithelium, while FgfrIIIc functions in mesenchyme. We aimed to determine roles of Fgfr2IIIc in kidney development. Mice with deletion of Fgfr2IIIc (Fgfr2IIIc−/−) had normal kidneys. Combination of Fgfr2IIIc−/− with conditional deletion of Fgfr1 in metanephric mesenchyme (MM) (Fgfr1Mes−/−Fgfr2IIIc−/−) had small but identifiable MM at E10.5, expressing mesenchymal markers including Eya1, Six2, Pax2 and Gdnf (unlike Fgfr1/2Mes−/− mice that have no obvious MM). E11.5 Fgfr1Mes−/−Fgfr2IIIc−/− mice had rudimentary MM expressing only Eya1. Control, Fgfr2IIIc−/−, and Fgfr1Mes−/−Fgfr2IIIc−/− kidney mesenchymal tissues also express Fgfr2IIIb. In ureteric lineages, E10.5 Fgfr1Mes−/−Fgfr2IIIc−/− embryos had ureteric outgrowth (sometimes multiple buds); however, by E11.5 Gdnf absence lead to no ureteric elongation or branching (similar to Fgfr1/2Mes−/− mice). Beyond E12.5, Fgfr1Mes−/−Fgfr2IIIc−/− mice had no renal tissue. In conclusion, Fgfr2IIIc and Fgfr1 in kidney mesenchyme (together) are critical for normal early renal development.