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Engineering of obligate intracellular bacteria: progress, challenges and paradigms
Erin E McClure1, Adela S Oliva Chávez1, Dana K Shaw1
1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA.
Nature Reviews. Microbiology
|June 20, 2017
Summary
Developing genetic tools for obligate intracellular bacteria is crucial for understanding infection mechanisms. This review details progress and challenges in creating these tools to study host-pathogen interactions.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Genetics
Background:
- Obligate intracellular bacteria infect approximately one billion people globally.
- Studying these bacteria (e.g., Chlamydia, Rickettsia) is difficult due to their genetic intractability.
- Existing genetic tools for these pathogens are limited and challenging to optimize.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the progress in developing genetic toolboxes for obligate intracellular bacteria.
- To identify constraints hindering the systematic development of these genetic tools.
- To highlight the potential of genetically manipulated bacteria in understanding pathogenesis and host-pathogen interactions.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature on genetic manipulation of obligate intracellular bacteria.
- Analysis of challenges and limitations in existing genetic tools.
- Discussion of the impact of genetic engineering on studying microbial pathogenesis.
Main Results:
- Significant progress has been made in developing genetic tools for obligate intracellular bacteria.
- Key challenges remain in optimizing genomic manipulation techniques.
- Genetically modified pathogens offer enhanced understanding of microbial pathogenesis and immunity.
Conclusions:
- Systematic development of genetic toolboxes is essential for obligate intracellular bacteria research.
- Engineering these bacteria can reveal novel signaling circuits in host-pathogen interactions.
- Advancements in genetic manipulation will improve our understanding of infectious diseases caused by these pathogens.
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