Objective: To recombine OspC gene from Borrelia burgdorferi PD91 of China and expressed it in E. coli for early diagnosis of Lyme disease.
Methods: The OspC gene was amplified from the genome of Borrelia burgdorferi PD91 strain by polymerase chain reaction and recombined with plasmid PET-11D. The recombinant plasmid PET-11D-OspC was identified with PCR, restriction endonuclease analysis and sequencing. The antigenicity was verified with Western Blot.
Results: OspC gene was cloned correctly into vector PET-11D. The resultant sequence was definitely different from the published sequence. The recombinant OspC seemed to have had strong antigenicity.
Conclusion: The findings laid basis for the studies on early diagnosis of Lyme disease.