Kinematics of intracellular chlamydiae provide evidence for contact-dependent development.

ABSTRACT: A crucial process of chlamydial development involves differentiation of the replicative reticulate body (RB) into the infectious elementary body (EB). We present experimental evidence to provide support for a contact-dependent hypothesis for explaining the trigger involved in differentiation. We recorded live-imaging of Chlamydia trachomatis-infected McCoy cells at key times during development and tracked the temporospatial trajectories of individual chlamydial particles. We found that movement of the particles is related to development. Early to mid-developmental stages involved slight wobbling of RBs. The average speed of particles increased sharply at 24 h postinfection (after the estimated onset of RB to EB differentiation). We also investigated a penicillin-supplemented culture contai

SUBMITTER: Wilson DP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2737980 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature