The T. pallidum Outer Membrane and Outer Membrane Proteins
Caroline E. Cameron
from: Pathogenic Treponema: Molecular and Cellular Biology (Edited by: Justin D. Radolf and Sheila A. Lukehart). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2006)
Abstract
The spirochetal bacterium that causes syphilis, Treponema pallidum subsp.pallidum, has been termed the "stealth pathogen" due to its remarkable ability to evade the host immune response and remain quiescent for extended periods of time. This capability is due, at least in part, to the unusual outer membrane that surrounds the bacterium and interfaces with the host. This chapter correlates the pathogenic potential of T. pallidum with the cellular morphology of the outer membrane, and details the current state of knowledge of the composition of the T. pallidum outer membrane and its constituent proteins. Within this chapter the treponemal outer membrane ultrastructure, antigenicity, lipid composition, and permeability are described; in silico and experimental techniques that have been used to identify outer membrane proteins are reviewed; and current outer membrane protein candidates that have been identified via these methods are outlined read more ...
