Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 16, 2026
07:42
Using Fluorescent Proteins to Visualize and Quantitate Chlamydia Vacuole Growth Dynamics in Living Cells
Published on: October 13, 2015
8.1K
Expansion of the Chlamydia trachomatis inclusion does not require bacterial replication
Patrik Engström1, Malin Bergström2, Astrid C Alfaro3
1Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, SE-90187 Umeå, Sweden; Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS), Umeå University, SE-90187 Umeå, Sweden; Umeå Centre for Microbial Research (UCMR), Umeå University, SE-90187 Umeå, Sweden; Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3200, USA.
International Journal of Medical Microbiology : IJMM
|March 16, 2015
Summary
Chlamydia trachomatis inclusion expansion requires new protein synthesis but not bacterial replication. This finding clarifies the mechanisms behind Chlamydia
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Cell Biology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis) replicates within a host cell vacuole called the inclusion.
- Inclusion expansion occurs during infection to accommodate growing bacterial populations.
- The specific requirements for inclusion expansion, such as bacterial replication and protein synthesis, remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the roles of bacterial replication and de novo protein synthesis in C. trachomatis inclusion expansion.
- To elucidate the molecular mechanisms driving vacuole remodeling during Chlamydia infection.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a chemical biology approach to manipulate C. trachomatis replication and protein synthesis in vitro.
- Employed specific inhibitors: KSK120 to block glucose metabolism (and thus replication) and chloramphenicol to inhibit protein synthesis.
- Monitored inclusion expansion under these varying conditions.
Main Results:
- Inclusion expansion correlated with C. trachomatis replication under normal conditions.
- Inclusions continued to expand even when bacterial replication was inhibited by KSK120.
- Inhibition of bacterial protein synthesis with chloramphenicol completely blocked inclusion expansion.
Conclusions:
- De novo protein synthesis by C. trachomatis is essential for inclusion expansion.
- Bacterial replication is not required for the expansion of the host cell vacuole.
- These findings highlight the importance of bacterial metabolic activity in host-pathogen interactions.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Bacterial Phylum Chlamydiae
781
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...
781
01:26Sexually Transmitted Infections
1.8K
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are diseases transmitted primarily through unsafe sexual interactions. Bacteria, viruses, or parasites cause them and can result in severe health complications if untreated.ChlamydiaThe bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis is responsible for the disease Chlamydia, the most common STI in the United States. This peculiar pathogen requires human cells to reproduce, residing intracellularly. The initial infection often goes unnoticed because it typically does not...
1.8K
00:43Lysogenic Cycle of Bacteriophages
70.0K
In contrast to the lytic cycle, phages infecting bacteria via the lysogenic cycle do not immediately kill their host cell. Instead, they combine their genome with the host genome, allowing the bacteria to replicate the phage DNA along with the bacterial genome. The incorporated copy of the phage genome is called the prophage. Some prophages can re-activate and enter the lytic cycle. This often occurs in response to a perturbation, such as DNA damage, but can also transpire in the absence of...
70.0K
01:16Viral Replication: Lysogenic Cycle
2.6K
The lysogenic cycle is a crucial viral replication strategy that allows bacteriophages to persist within host cells without immediately destroying them. This process is primarily observed in temperate phages, such as bacteriophage lambda (λ), which infects Escherichia coli. The cycle allows the viral genome to persist across bacterial generations while keeping host cells viable.Integration of the Viral GenomeUpon infection, bacteriophage lambda attaches to the bacterial surface and injects...
2.6K
01:19Mechanism of Conjugation
1.6K
Bacterial conjugation is a mechanism of horizontal gene transfer that enables the exchange of genetic material between bacterial cells through direct contact. This process is facilitated by a donor cell carrying a conjugative plasmid, which encodes genes necessary for pilus formation, DNA replication, and transfer. The conjugative plasmid plays a central role in initiating and executing the transfer of genetic material.The tra region of the conjugative plasmid encodes proteins responsible for...
1.6K
01:10Intracellular Movement of Viruses and Bacteria
3.9K
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...
3.9K