PlzA is a bifunctional c-di-GMP biosensor that promotes tick and mammalian host-adaptation of Borrelia burgdorferi

In this study, we examined the relationship between c-di-GMP and its only known effector protein, PlzA, in Borrelia burgdorferi during the arthropod and mammalian phases of the enzootic cycle. Using a B. burgdorferi strain expressing a plzA point mutant (plzA-R145D) unable to bind c-di-GMP, we confirmed that the protective function of PlzA in ticks is c-di-GMP-dependent. Unlike ΔplzA spirochetes, which are severely attenuated in mice, the plzA-R145D strain was fully infectious, firmly establishing that PlzA serves a c-di-GMP-independent function in mammals. Contrary to prior reports, loss of PlzA did not affect expression of RpoS or RpoS-dependent genes, which are essential for transmission, mammalian host-adaptation and murine infection. To ascertain the nature of PlzA’s c-di-GMP-independent function(s), we employed infection models using (i) host-adapted mutant spirochetes for needle inoculation of immunocompetent mice and (ii) infection of scid mice with in vitro-grown organisms. Both approaches substantially restored ΔplzA infectivity, suggesting that PlzA enables B. burgdorferi to overcome an early bottleneck to infection. Furthermore, using a Borrelia strain expressing a heterologous, constitutively active diguanylate cyclase, we demonstrate that ‘ectopic’ production of c-di-GMP in mammals abrogates spirochete virulence and interferes with RpoS function at the post-translational level in a PlzA-dependent manner. Structural modeling and SAXS analysis of liganded- and unliganded-PlzA revealed marked conformational changes that underlie its biphasic functionality. This structural plasticity likely enables PlzA to serve as a c-di-GMP biosensor that in its respective liganded and unliganded states promote vector- and host-adaptation by the Lyme disease spirochete.
Author summary Herein, we examined the roles of c-di-GMP and PlzA throughout the Borrelia burgdorferi lifecycle. Using a plzA point mutant that is unable to bind c-di-GMP, we confirmed that the protective function(s) of PlzA in feeding ticks and mammals are c-di-GMP-dependent and -independent, respectively. Contrary to previous studies, loss of PlzA did not affect expression of rpoS or RpoS-dependent genes, which are important for host-adaptation and persistence in the mammal. Host-adaptation prior to needle-inoculation of C3H mice or infection of scid mice substantially restored infectivity in the absence of PlzA. Using a Borrelia strain that synthesizes c-di-GMP constitutively, this secondary messenger was shown to be tick-phase specific and detrimental to host-adaptation via PlzA-mediated antagonism of RpoS function. Structural modeling and SAXS analysis of liganded- and unliganded-PlzA provide insight into the dramatic conformational changes upon c-di-GMP binding that likely underlie its differential function: liganded-PlzA supports survival within feeding ticks, while unliganded-PlzA promotes an RpoS-independent facet of host adaptation, enabling spirochetes to evade early immune clearance by the host.