Complement Regulator-Acquiring Surface Protein: Difference between revisions

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyme_disease Lyme Disease] is caused by the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirochaete spirochete] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borrelia_burgdorferi ''Borrelia burgdorferi''], and is transferred into vertebrate hosts by zoonotic vectors such as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ixodes ''Ixodes''] ticks <ref name="Bykowski">PMID: 17562769</ref>. Lyme disease can result in multisystemic disorders, including cardiovascular and neurological problems. There are thousands of cases of Lyme disease reported each year, making it a prevalent disease in North America and Eurasia <ref name="Cordes">PMID: 15711564</ref>. In order for ''B. burgdorferi'' to survive in its host, it evades the host's immune system through the use of complement regulator-acquiring surface proteins. One such protein responsible for a successful initial infection is ''Borrelia burgdorferi'' complement regulator-acquiring surface protein 1, or BbCRASP-1 <ref name="Bykowski">PMID: 17562769</ref>. Because BbCRASP-1 binds host complement regulators to the spirochete's outer surface, ''B. burgdorferi'' remains undetected within the host <ref name="Bykowski">PMID: 17562769</ref>. BbCRASP-1 specifically binds to complement Factor H (FH) and Factor H-like proteins (FHL-1), which are responsible for the host's immune response and detection of pathogens <ref name="Kraiczy">PMID: 14607842</ref>. Recently, it was found that BbCRASP-1 binds to several other proteins in the extra cellular matrix of a human cell, making it highly flexible and adaptive.

== '''Structure''' ==