Archived
This content is available here strictly for research, reference, and/or recordkeeping and as such it may not be fully accessible. If you work or study at University of Kentucky and would like to request an accessible version, please use the SensusAccess Document Converter.
Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0009-0008-0873-1066
Date Available
12-9-2025
Year of Publication
2025
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Medical Sciences (MSMS)
College
Medicine
Department/School/Program
Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics
Faculty
Brian Stevenson
Faculty
Richard C Grondin
Abstract
Prior studies indicated Borrelia burgdorferi SpoVG protein was regulated, SpoVG binds specifically to a number of nucleic acids, and SpoVG binds to the non-variable section of the major virulence factor vlsE. Although a direct transcriptional activator or inhibitor was not elucidated, it is shown that SpoVG is regulated based on cell culture density independent of the growth rate of B. burgdorferi, indicating that SpoVG regulation is outside the scope of the alternative sigma factor RpoS. Using a dCas9 CRISPRi construct to target SpoVG resulted in protein expression trending towards upregulation of the BosR-RpoS regulon, and a marked decrease in vlsE transcript without a decrease in the transcript of the vlsE activator yebC.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2025.560
Funding Information
This study was supported by the National Institutes of Health Grant (No. R01AI144126) in 2023-2024.
Recommended Citation
Saylor, Timothy C., "Investigating regulation and the regulome of the nucleic acid binding protein SpoVG within Borrelia burgdorferi" (2025). Theses and Dissertations--Medical Sciences. 28.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/medsci_etds/28
Supplemental Documentation
Included in
Bacteria Commons, Bacteriology Commons, Medical Microbiology Commons, Medical Molecular Biology Commons, Molecular Biology Commons
