Bifunctional role of the Treponema pallidum extracellular matrix binding adhesin Tp0751.

Treponema pallidum, the causative agent of syphilis, is a highly invasive pathogenic spirochete capable of attaching to host cells, invading the tissue barrier, and undergoing rapid widespread dissemination via the circulatory system. The T. pallidum adhesin Tp0751 was previously shown to bind laminin, the most abundant component of the basement membrane, suggesting a role for this adhesin in host tissue colonization and bacterial dissemination.

Heterologous expression of the Treponema pallidum laminin-binding adhesin Tp0751 in the culturable spirochete Treponema phagedenis.

Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum, the causative agent of syphilis, is an unculturable, genetically intractable bacterium. Here we report the use of the shuttle vector pKMR4PEMCS for the expression of a previously identified T.