Project description:To investigate the role of cell type-intrinsic gene expression to fibrotic sequelae of Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) infection of the upper female genital tract, we compared the transcriptomic response of primary human endocervical epithelial cells (HCECs, see GSE198272) to that in vaginal epithelial cells (HVEs).
Project description:Chlamydia trachomatis are the etiological agents of a range of diseases and are epidemiologically associated with cervical and ovarian cancers. The interplay between host and chlamydia is highly complex, and to obtain panoramic view of the functional interplay, we performed combinatorial global phosphoproteomic and transcriptomic analyses of C. trachomatis-induced signaling. We identified numerous previously unknown C. trachomatis phosphoproteins and C. trachomatis-regulated host phosphoproteins that are substrates of kinases involved in various cellular processes. Interestingly, several host transcription factors (TFs) that are phosphorylated in C. trachomatis infections, including ETS2 repressor factor (ERF), proto-oncogenic transcription factor ETS1 are targets of ERK MAPK signaling. While these TFs were found to be essential for Chlamydia development, we demonstrated their involvement in inducing epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in C. trachomatis infected cells by transcriptional regulation of genes involved in cellular motility and invasion. Our data reveals substantially unexplored complexity of C. trachomatis-induced signaling and provides broader insights into pro-carcinogenic potential of C. trachomatis.
Project description:In this project we examined the in-vitro effect of female sex hormones (estradiol and progesterone at average physiological concentrations) during a infection mediated by Chlamydia trachomatis serovar D, on the gene expression of human endometrial cell line ECC-1 The effects of the female sex hormones progesterone and oestradiol while infected by Chlamydia trachomatis were examined at two timepoints.
Project description:Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis) is an intracellular bacterium, and is one of the main pathogens that cause sexually transmitted infections worldwide. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have become vital regulators in many biological processes. However, few studies have shown that lncRNAs take part in the pathogenesis of C. trachomatis. Here, we used microarrays to study the expression profiles of lncRNAs and mRNAs in HeLa cells at 12, 24, and 40 hours pot-infection (hpi). Our study provides evidence that lncRNAs are involved in the interaction between C. trachomatis and hosts.
Project description:Chlamydia trachomatis is an important human pathogen that replicates inside the infected host cell in a unique vacuole, the inclusion. The formation of this intracellular bacterial niche is essential for productive Chlamydia infections. Despite its importance for Chlamydia biology, a holistic view on the protein composition of the inclusion, including its membrane, is currently missing. Here we describe a newly established method to purify inclusions from C. trachomatis infected epithelial cells and the analysis of the host cell-derived proteome by a combination of label free and stable isotope labeling -based quantitative proteomics. Computational analysis of the proteome data indicated that the inclusion is a complex intracellular trafficking platform that interacts with host cells' antero- and retrograde trafficking pathways. Furthermore, the inclusion is highly enriched for sorting nexins of the SNX-BAR retromer, a complex essential for retrograde trafficking. Functional studies showed that in particular SNX5 controls the C. trachomatis infection and that retrograde trafficking is essential for infectious progeny formation. In summary, our findings suggest that the inclusion of C. trachomatis is well embedded in the hosts' endomembrane system and hijacks retrograde trafficking pathways for effective infection.
Project description:Clinical treatment protocols for infertility with in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) provide a unique opportunity to assess the human vaginal microbiome in defined hormonal milieu. Herein, we have investigated the association of circulating ovarian-derived estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) concentrations to the vaginal microbiome. Thirty IVF-ET patients were enrolled in this study, after informed consent. Blood was drawn at four time points during the IVF-ET procedure. In addition, if a pregnancy resulted, blood was drawn at 4-to-6 weeks of gestation. The serum concentrations of E2 and P4 were measured. Vaginal swabs were obtained in different hormonal milieu. Two independent genome-based technologies (and the second assayed in two different ways) were employed to identify the vaginal microbes. The vaginal microbiome underwent a transition with a decrease in E2 (and/or a decrease in P4). Novel bacteria were found in the vagina of 33% of the women undergoing IVF-ET. Our approach has enabled the discovery of novel, previously unidentified bacterial species in the human vagina in different hormonal milieu. While the relationship of hormone concentration and vaginal microbes was found to be complex, the data support a shift in the microbiome of the human vagina during IVF-ET therapy using standard protocols. The data also set the foundation for further studies examining correlations between IVF-ET outcome and the vaginal microbiome within a larger study population.
Project description:Certain types of Human papilloma viruses (HPV) are the etiological agents for cervical cancer. However, not all infections of high-risk HPVs will finally lead to cancer since most HPV infections are cleared without any consequences. Chlamydia trachomatis is the most prevalent sexual transmitted bacteria and is an obligatory intracellular pathogen exhibiting tropism in endocervical epithelial cells. Over the past decades, C. trachomatis is thought to be a potential co-factor for cervical cancer formation, but there are also studies that did not show such a correlation. To address this question in molecular terms, we stably expressed HPV16 E6 and E7 in spontaneously immortalized NOKs (normal oral keratinocytes) and performed SILAC (stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture) with or without C. trachomatis infection to study the impact of HPV16 oncogene expression and C. trachomatis infection on host proteome changes.
Project description:We utilized host-pathogen dual RNA-sequencing to elucidate the transcriptomes of both Chlamydia trachomatis and the infected HeLa cell during nutritional conditions that induce persistence.
Project description:Chlamydia trachomatis is an obligate intracellular pathogen that causes trachoma and sextually transmitted disease in human. During early stage of infection, Chlamydia secreted bacterial effector proteins into host cell cytoplasm to help its entry and estabilishment of early replicated niche. We identified a Chlamydia mutant that lack an early Effector. To address the function of this effector, we infected A2EN cells with this mutant (G1V) and its complemented counterpart (G1TEPP) to see what host gene transcriptions are affected by this effector. A2EN cells were mock infected, or infected with a Chlamydia mutant or its complemented counterpart for 4 hour post infection.