The Chlamydia trachomatis Tarp effector targets the Hippo pathway

Abstract

Chlamydia trachomatis injects bacterial effector proteins into human epithelial cells to facilitate the establishment of new infections. The chlamydial type III secreted effector translocated actin recruiting phosphoprotein (Tarp) has been shown to nucleate and bundle actin filaments. It is also believed to initiate new signaling pathways via an N-terminal phosphorylation domain. A comprehensive understanding of the host pathways that are controlled by Tarp to aid in the establishment of a successful infection remains incomplete. To gain further insight into the cell signaling regulated by Tarp, we generated transgenic fruit flies engineered to express the N-terminal domain of Tarp. As many signaling pathways are conserved between flies and mammals, we hypothesized that expression of the Tarp N-domain in the fruit fly might disrupt key pathways, resulting in developmental defects. Tarp N-domain expression in the fruit fly resulted in a mechanosensory bristle duplication phenotype similar to a previously characterized fly phenotype found to be a consequence of defects in the Hippo pathway. Tarp-dependent disruption of the Hippo pathway was confirmed in a C. trachomatis tissue culture infection model. The capability of Tarp to alter Hippo pathway signaling in infected epithelial cells is a previously unrecognized pathway commandeered by chlamydia and likely contributes to the establishment of chlamydia's intracellular niche.