Contributions of environmental signals and conserved residues to the functions of carbon storage regulator A of Borrelia burgdorferi.

Carbon storage regulator A of Borrelia burgdorferi (CsrABb) contributes to vertebrate host-specific adaptation by modulating activation of the Rrp2-RpoN-RpoS pathway and is critical for infectivity. We hypothesized that the functions of CsrABb are dependent on environmental signals and on select residues. We analyzed the phenotype of csrABb deletion and site-specific mutants to determine the conserved and pathogen-specific attributes of CsrABb.

Monocytes mediate metastatic breast tumor cell adhesion to endothelium under flow.

Endothelial adhesion is necessary for the hematogenous dissemination of tumor cells. However, the metastatic breast tumor cell MDA-MB-231 does not bind to the endothelium under physiological flow conditions, suggesting alternate mechanisms of adhesion. Since monocytes are highly represented in the tumor microenvironment, and also bind to endothelium during inflammation, we hypothesized that the monocytes assist in the arrest of MDA-MB-231 on the endothelium.