(A) Schematic diagrams of wild-type and ΔflbB mutant
genomes. flaB gene (bb0147) is separated from
the targeted flbB gene (bb0286) by
approximately 100 kb. WT B. burgdorferi with the
flgB polycistronic operon containing the targeted
flbB is shown in top panel. The Pl-kan
cassette replacing the flbB gene by allelic exchange is shown
in bottom panel. The model lists only a few of the 26 genes of the
flgB operon, and other genes are indicated by multiple
arrowheads. (B) Confirmation of flbB gene-deletion and
determination of polar effect by western blotting. WT and
ΔflbB mutant cell lysates were subjected to
SDS-PAGE (left) followed by immunoblotting (right). Immunoblotting was performed
with B. burgdorferi FlbB, FlgE, MotB, FliL, or FlaB-specific
antibodies. DnaK was used as a loading control. FlbB antiserum reacted with a 14
kDa protein in the wild-type lysate that is absent in the
ΔflbB lysates indicate that this protein is the
FlbB (FlbB blot).