Epitope mapping of the immunodominant invariable region of Borrelia burgdorferi VlsE in three host species

VIsE, the variable surface antigen of Borrelia burgdorferi, contains a 26-a mino-acid-long immunodominant invariable region, IR6. In the present study, three overlapping 14-mer peptides reproducing the sequence of IR6 were use d as peptide-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay antigens to map this i nvariable region in infected monkeys, mice, and human Lyme disease patients . Antibodies of the two primate species appeared to recognize IR6 as a sing le antigenic determinant, while mouse antibodies recognized multiple epitop es within this region.