Eastern Long Island, New York, is one of the major foci of Lyme disease in the United States. As in almost all other parts of North America, Lyme disease in this region is caused by a single genomic species of spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto. For three consecutive years, natural populations of Lyme Borrelia in this region were sampled and studied for gene flow among different locations, changes in population structure over time, and selective forces. The genetic diversity of Borrelia populations was measured at the outer surface protein A (ospA) locus using Cold Single-Stranded Conformation Polymorphism (Cold SSCP) analysis. The Borrelia populations were found to be highly polymorphic within any of thirteen local populations. Ewens-Watterson tests of neutrality revealed that the high level of genetic diversity within local Borrelia populations is maintained by balancing selection. Frequency-dependent selection for the different strains distinguished by the ospA alleles is likely the mechanism of the balancing selection. Allele frequency distributions of Borrelia populations were homogeneous across the region in any particular year, although different infection rates of local tick (Ixodes scapularis) populations suggested that the Borrelia populations were at least partially isolated. Since the allele frequency distribution changed over time, while remaining homogeneous over space, the nearly uniform allele frequency distribution across the region cannot be explained by recent geographic expansion from a single population. This uniform distribution across the region thus may be maintained by selection, or by a significant amount of migration or both. The genetic structure of B. burgdorferi sensu stricto also differed between spirochetes infecting nymphal ticks and those infecting adult ticks. Since larval and nymphal ticks have distinctly different host feeding preferences, host adaptation of spirochete populations is implied. This distinction and an animal study using chipmunks suggest that ticks infected by Borrelia as larvae may have high mortality in the wild. This study represents a genetic analysis of local populations of a bacterial species.

Tetracyclines have recently been shown to exert a number of pleiotropic anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activities, independent of their antibiotic properties. These include the ability to inhibit metalloproteinases (MP), a class of enzymes involved in crucial cellular functions such as the shedding of soluble mediators and their receptors from the cell surface, as well as interaction with, and remodeling of, the extracellular matrix. Here we report that doxycycline at therapeutic concentrations (1--5 microg/ml) significantly suppresses Ig secretion and class switching by in vitro activated murine B cells. Suppression of Ig secretion correlates with a decrease in levels of mRNA for the terminal B cell differentiation-associated genes Blimp-1 and mad-4, as well as to a reduction in expression of the plasma cell markers Syndecan-1 and J chain. Inhibition of class switching occurs at the recombination stage and is also induced by other MP inhibitors, including tetracycline analogs lacking antibiotic activity and the chemically unrelated hydroxamate KB8301. These novel, direct effects of MP inhibitors on B lymphocytes suggest an intrinsic role for MP in B cell activation and likely explain some of the observed in vivo immunomodulatory properties of tetracyclines. Moreover, these findings have significant implications for tetracycline therapy in Ig-mediated autoimmune or allergic diseases and raise questions about the use of doxycycline-inducible transgenic systems for the study of B cell function.

Ig class switch recombination (CSR) in activated B cells is preceded by the generation of “switch” transcripts from the heavy chain constant region (CH) genes targeted for rearrangement. Switch transcripts include a sterile “I” exon spliced onto the first CH exon. Targeted mutations disrupting the expression or splicing of I exons severely hamper CSR to all tested CH loci, except μ. However, all μ switch transcript mutations tested so far have left the Iμ exon splice donor site intact. To test the possibility that the residual CSR activity in Iμ mutants could be due to splicing of a truncated Iμ exon, we generated new mutants specifically lacking the Iμ splice donor site. Surprisingly, normal CSR was observed in the Iμ splice donor mutants even in the absence of detectable spliced Iμ transcripts. In a search for potential alternative sources of switch-like transcripts in the μ locus, we identified two novel exons which map just upstream of the Sμ region and splice onto the Cμ1 exon. Their expression is detectable from early B cell developmental stages, and, at least in hybridomas, it does not require the Eμ enhancer. These studies highlight a unique structure for the μ locus I exon region, with multiple nested switch transcript-like exons mapping upstream of Sμ. We propose that all of these transcripts directly contribute to μ class switching activity.

Immunoglobulin (Ig) isotype deficiencies are among the most common and least characterized humoral immunodeficiencies. A thorough understanding of their immunological and genetic features has been hampered by their extreme heterogeneity and the paucity of suitable animal models. Here, we report the initial characterization of a new mouse model with selective Ig deficiency. SENCARA mice display low serum IgG3 levels as well as severely deficient IgG3 responses to T cell-independent (TI) type 1 and 2 antigens. However, despite the significant block in class switching, expression of activation-induced deaminase and + 3 germ-line transcription after TI antigen immunization are normal. IgG3 production in response to in vitro LPS stimulation was also normal, ruling out a specific defect in the C + 3 switch machinery. A decrease in the number of peritoneal B1a cells and enlarged splenic marginal zones were observed. The immunodeficiency is inherited as an autosomal, semidominant, essentially monogenic trait in SENCARA × C57BL/6 crosses. The SENCARA humoral immunodeficiency constitutes a novel immune phenotype, resembling human conditions such as IgG2 deficiency. This new mouse model will be of interest for the understanding of mechanisms involved in TI immune responses and may provide new insights into the molecular basis of human Ig deficiencies.