Impact of nutrients on the function of the chlamydial Rsb partner switching mechanism.

ABSTRACT: The obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis is a leading cause of sexually transmitted infections and infectious blindness. Chlamydia undergo a biphasic developmental cycle alternating between the infectious elementary body (EB) and the replicative reticulate body (RB). The molecular mechanisms governing RB growth and RB-EB differentiation are unclear. We hypothesize that the bacterium senses host cell and bacterial energy levels and metabolites to ensure that development and growth coincide with nutrient availability. We predict that a partner switching mechanism (PSM) plays a key role in the sensing and response process acting as a molecular throttle sensitive to metabolite levels. Using purified wild type and mutant PSM proteins, we discovered that metal type imp

SUBMITTER: Kuwabara S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12173453 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature