Abstract

Chlamydiae are obligate intracellular bacteria that replicate within the confines of a membrane-bound vacuole termed the inclusion. The final event in the infectious process is the disruption of the inclusion membrane and release of a multitude of infectious elementary bodies, each capable of eliciting a new infection. Strains of the trachoma biovar of Chlamydia trachomatis are released from the host cell without concomitant host cell death. In this study, analysis of events associated with chlamydial egress revealed that the integrity of the host cell plasma membrane was compromised prior to the inclusion membrane. This disruption was accompanied by the appearance of LAMP-1 at the infected cell surface, implicating lysosome repair of plasma membrane lesions in response to infection. Analysis of the effects of calcium chelators and actin stabilizing agents, indicated calcium-induced actin depolymerization as a requisite to lysosome-plasma membrane fusion and host cell survival. A consequence of this lysosome-mediated repair process, was the retention of residual bacteria within the surviving host cell, providing a unique mechanism for intracellular persistence of C. trachomatis.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.