LAMB2 and infection: Relatively lower levels of adherence to human placental and endothelial cells (Fig 3) compared to HEK 293 cells further supports the premise that Tp0136 of T. pallidum could play a role in differential cell binding-mediated colonization of different tissues during infection, which could be potentially again be attributed to the levels of fibronectin and laminin present on the specific host cell surface.