Chlamydia species-dependent differences in the growth requirement for lysosomes.

ABSTRACT: Genome reduction is a hallmark of obligate intracellular pathogens such as Chlamydia, where adaptation to intracellular growth has resulted in the elimination of genes encoding biosynthetic enzymes. Accordingly, chlamydiae rely heavily on the host cell for nutrients yet their specific source is unclear. Interestingly, chlamydiae grow within a pathogen-defined vacuole that is in close apposition to lysosomes. Metabolically-labeled uninfected host cell proteins were provided as an exogenous nutrient source to chlamydiae-infected cells, and uptake and subsequent labeling of chlamydiae suggested lysosomal degradation as a source of amino acids for the pathogen. Indeed, Bafilomycin A1 (BafA1), an inhibitor of the vacuolar H(+)/ATPase that blocks lysosomal acidification and functions, impairs th

SUBMITTER: Ouellette SP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3050816 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature