AUTHOR=Lin Tao , Troy Erin B. , Hu Linden T. , Gao Lihui , Norris Steven J. 

TITLE=Transposon mutagenesis as an approach to improved understanding of Borrelia pathogenesis and biology

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology

VOLUME=4

YEAR=2014

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-and-infection-microbiology/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2014.00063

DOI=10.3389/fcimb.2014.00063

ISSN=2235-2988

ABSTRACT=<p>Transposon insertion provides a method for near-random mutation of bacterial genomes, and has been utilized extensively for the study of bacterial pathogenesis and biology. This approach is particularly useful for organisms that are relatively refractory to genetic manipulation, including Lyme disease <italic>Borrelia</italic>. In this review, progress to date in the application of transposon mutagenesis to the study of <italic>Borrelia burgdorferi</italic> is reported. An effective <italic>Himar1</italic>-based transposon vector has been developed and used to acquire a sequence-defined library of nearly 4500 mutants in the infectious, moderately transformable <italic>B. burgdorferi</italic> B31 derivative 5A18NP1. Analysis of these transposon mutants using signature-tagged mutagenesis (STM) and Tn-seq approaches has begun to yield valuable information regarding the genes important in the pathogenesis and biology of this organism.</p>