The Functional and Molecular Effects of Doxycycline Treatment on Borrelia burgdorferi Phenotype

Recent studies have shown that can form antibiotic-tolerant persisters in the presence of microbiostatic drugs such as doxycycline. Precisely how this occurs is yet unknown. Our goal was to examine gene transcription by following doxycycline treatment in an effort to identify both persister-associated genes and possible targets for antimicrobial intervention. To do so, we performed next-generation RNA sequencing on doxycycline-treated spirochetes and treated spirochetes following regrowth, comparing them to untreated . A number of genes were perturbed and most of those which were statistically significant were down-regulated in the treated versus the untreated or treated/re-grown. Genes upregulated in the treated included a number of genes and , a 50S ribosomal protein. Among those genes associated with post-treatment regrowth were (Oms28), , several peptide ABC transporters, , , and . Studies are underway to determine if these same genes are perturbed in treated with doxycycline in a host environment.