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Updated: Jul 16, 2025

Author Spotlight: Imaging ATG9A, a Multi-Spanning Membrane Protein
Published on: June 16, 2023
ATG9A supports Chlamydia trachomatis infection via autophagy-independent mechanisms
Michitaka Suzuki1, Tomoko Funakoshi2, Keigo Kumagai3
1Department of Anatomy and Histology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine , Hikarigaoka, Fukushima, Japan.
Importance:
ATG9A is an autophagy-related gene that functions during the isolation membrane expansion process to form autophagosomes, but it also has other functions independent of autophagy. In this study, we employed ATG9A-deficient HeLa cells and found that the absence of ATG9A negatively impacted proliferation of Chlamydia trachomatis in inclusions. Furthermore, rescue experiments using ATG9A mutants revealed that this action was mediated not by its autophagic function but by its binding ability to clathrin adapter proteins. These findings suggest that the proper trafficking of ATG9A assists C. trachomatis growth in the inclusion.
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