Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 26, 2026

Using Fluorescent Proteins to Visualize and Quantitate Chlamydia Vacuole Growth Dynamics in Living Cells
07:42

Using Fluorescent Proteins to Visualize and Quantitate Chlamydia Vacuole Growth Dynamics in Living Cells

Published on: October 13, 2015

Flotillin-1 (Reggie-2) contributes to Chlamydia pneumoniae growth and is associated with bacterial inclusion

Juha T Korhonen1, Mirja Puolakkainen, Reetta Häivälä

  • 1Centre for Biotechnology, and Institute of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.

Infection and Immunity
|January 5, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Human flotillin-1 protein is crucial for the intracellular growth of Chlamydia pneumoniae, a common respiratory pathogen. Silencing flotillin-1 significantly reduced bacterial growth within host cells.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Cell Biology
  • Pathogen-Host Interactions

Background:

  • Chlamydiae are obligate intracellular bacteria that require host cells for replication.
  • Understanding host factors influencing Chlamydia pneumoniae (C. pneumoniae) growth is vital for developing therapeutic strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of human flotillin-1 in the intracellular replication of C. pneumoniae.
  • To determine if flotillin-1 influences C. pneumoniae attachment or intracellular growth.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized RNA interference to silence flotillin-1 expression in human epithelial cell lines (HL and A549).
  • Quantified C. pneumoniae bacterial load using quantitative PCR.
  • Assessed bacterial growth by counting intracellular inclusions.
  • Employed confocal microscopy and biochemical fractionation to examine flotillin-1 localization and interactions.

Main Results:

  • Flotillin-1 silencing did not affect C. pneumoniae attachment to host cells.
  • Intracellular growth of C. pneumoniae was significantly attenuated in flotillin-1-silenced cells.
  • Confocal microscopy revealed flotillin-1 colocalization with the C. pneumoniae inclusion membrane protein A (IncA).
  • Biochemical fractionation showed flotillin-1 association with IncA within detergent-resistant membrane microdomains (DRMs).

Conclusions:

  • Human flotillin-1 localizes to the C. pneumoniae inclusion membrane.
  • Flotillin-1 plays a significant role in supporting the intracellular growth of C. pneumoniae.
  • Targeting flotillin-1 may represent a novel therapeutic approach against C. pneumoniae infections.

More Related Videos

Identification of Host Pathways Targeted by Bacterial Effector Proteins using Yeast Toxicity and Suppressor Screens07:40

Identification of Host Pathways Targeted by Bacterial Effector Proteins using Yeast Toxicity and Suppressor Screens

Published on: October 25, 2019

Tractable Mammalian Cell Infections with Protozoan-primed Bacteria13:54

Tractable Mammalian Cell Infections with Protozoan-primed Bacteria

Published on: April 2, 2013

Related Concept Videos

Bacterial Phylum Chlamydiae01:29

Bacterial Phylum Chlamydiae

The phylum Chlamydiae or Chlamydiota is composed of a single order, Chlamydiales. This phylum consists entirely of obligate intracellular parasites that infect eukaryotic hosts. While human pathogens within this group have been studied extensively, the phylum encompasses many species capable of interacting with various eukaryotic organisms. Members of Chlamydiae are typically small cocci, approximately 0.5 μm in diameter, and exhibit a distinctive developmental cycle. As is characteristic of...
Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing01:28

Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing

Quorum sensing is a mechanism of bacterial communication that enables coordinated gene expression in response to changes in population density. This facilitates collective behaviors that enhance survival, resource acquisition, and ecological adaptation. This process relies on small signaling molecules called autoinducers that accumulate as bacterial populations grow. When a critical threshold concentration of autoinducers is reached, bacterial cells collectively modify gene expression,...
Fimbriae, Pili, and Axial Filaments01:28

Fimbriae, Pili, and Axial Filaments

Fimbriae and pili are specialized bacterial surface structures that play pivotal roles in adhesion, genetic exchange, and motility. Composed primarily of pilin protein, these hairlike appendages are crucial for bacterial survival and pathogenicity in various environments.Fimbriae: Adhesion and PathogenicityFimbriae are fine, filamentous structures measuring 2–10 nanometers in diameter and are densely distributed on the bacterial cell surface. They facilitate bacterial adhesion to abiotic...
Cytoskeletal Proteins in Bacteria01:29

Cytoskeletal Proteins in Bacteria

Bacterial cells were initially considered simple, randomly organized structures lacking a cytoskeleton. However, the discovery of cytoskeleton homologs in bacteria led to the change of this opinion. Bacterial cytoskeletal filaments regulate the cell shape, cell polarity, cell division, and partitioning of plasmids during cell division. It was later discovered that bacterial cytoskeletal proteins, mainly actin and tubulin homologs, are diverse compared to their eukaryotic counterparts. On the...
Intracellular Movement of Viruses and Bacteria01:10

Intracellular Movement of Viruses and Bacteria

Intracellular bacteria and viruses often comprise a group of highly infectious pathogens that can cause several diseases. Bacterial pathogens include those belonging to the genus Rickettsia responsible for conditions such as rocky mountain spotted fever and the Mediterranean spotted fever; Chlamydia, a genus responsible for a sexually transmitted disease; Coxiella burnetii, an agent responsible for Q fever. Viral pathogens include vaccinia—a poxvirus, and herpes simplex virus—a virus that...
Flagella and Motility in Bacteria01:18

Flagella and Motility in Bacteria

Flagella are specialized, thread-like structures that extend from a bacteria's cell envelope. They play a crucial role in motility and chemotaxis. Their structural organization and functioning exemplify sophisticated biological engineering, enabling bacterial survival and adaptability in diverse environments.Structure of the FlagellumA bacterial flagellum consists of three key components: the filament, the hook, and basal body. The filament, a long, helical structure composed of repeating...