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Updated: Dec 27, 2025

Using Fluorescent Proteins to Visualize and Quantitate Chlamydia Vacuole Growth Dynamics in Living Cells
Published on: October 13, 2015
Chlamydia: what is on the outside does matter
Arlieke Gitsels1, Sarah Van Lent1, Niek Sanders2
1Laboratory of Immunology and Animal Biotechnology, Department of Animal Sciences and Aquatic Ecology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Abstract:
This review summarises major highlights on the structural biology of the chlamydial envelope. Chlamydiae are obligate intracellular bacteria, characterised by a unique biphasic developmental cycle. Depending on the stage of their lifecycle, they appear in the form of elementary or reticulate bodies. Since these particles have distinctive functions, it is not surprising that their envelope differs in lipid as well as in protein content. Vice versa, by identifying surface proteins, specific characteristics of the particles such as rigidity or immunogenicity may be deduced. Detailed information on the bacterial membranes will increase our understanding on the host-pathogen interactions chlamydiae employ to survive and grow and might lead to new strategies to battle chlamydial infections.
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