Chlamydia trachomatis inhibits apoptosis in infected cells by targeting the pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and Bak.

ABSTRACT: Apoptosis acts in defense against microbial infection, and many infectious agents have developed strategies to inhibit host cell apoptosis. The human pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis (Ctr) is an obligate intracellular bacterium that strongly inhibits mitochondrial apoptosis of its human host cell but there is no agreement how the bacteria achieve this. We here provide a molecular analysis of chlamydial apoptosis-inhibition in infected human cells and demonstrate that the block of apoptosis occurs during the activation of the effectors of mitochondrial apoptosis, Bak and Bax. We use small-molecule Bcl-2-family inhibitors and gene targeting to show that previous models cannot explain the anti-apoptotic effect of chlamydial infection. Although the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2-family protein Mcl-1 was s

SUBMITTER: Waguia Kontchou C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9525694 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature