Characterization of Chlamydial Inclusion Migration

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The obligate intracellular bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis is the world's leading cause of preventable blindness and the most common sexually transmitted pathogen of humans. In the US, the incidence of new cases of chlamydial genital tract infection is approximately 4 million annually, causing severe illness such as pelvic inflammatory disease leading to tubal infertility. Because of limitations imposed by the lack of workable genetic systems and the necessity of using eukaryotic cells as a growth medium, there is a paucity of information on specific virulence mechanisms employed by Chlamydia. Chlamydial protein synthesis is required for the establishment and maturation of the chlamydial inclusion. One of the earliest steps in inclusion maturation is centripetal migration to the perinuclear region, a process that is conserved among all chlamydial species suggesting an important role in pathogenesis. Intracellular migration by other viral and bacterial pathogens mimics host microtubule trafficking in that they require both the host motor protein dynein and its cargo binding and activating complex, dynactin. The mechanism of chlamydial inclusion migration differs significantly, as Chlamydia synthesize an effector(s) that circumvents a requirement for dynactin. To achieve a greater understanding of chlamydial intracellular migration and inclusion maturation, the research conducted in this proposal has the following goals: 1) identify the chlamydial protein ligand(s) that mediates microtubule based motility, and 2) determine host factors involved in chlamydial migration. Aim 1 will focus on identifying the chlamydial protein(s) involved in migration. Selected candidate chlamydial proteins will be screened for direct binding to subunits of dynein using a high-throughput mammalian two-hybrid assay. Protein-protein interactions will be confirmed using a GST-fusion pull down assay. To screen for indirect interactions between chlamydial effectors and dynein, immunoprecipitation of dynein subunits will be conducted to co-precipitate chlamydial proteins. Aim 2 will focus on determining the subunit composition of the dynein complex utilized by Chlamydia for migration. Dynein translocates a diverse array of cargo. This versatility depends on an extensive set of associated protein subunits. GFP fusions of the ten dynein subunits will be screened for interactions with the chlamydial inclusion by confocal microscopy and biochemical fractionation. The functional role of each subunit will be determined by siRNA inhibition studies. Dissection of the mechanism used by Chlamydia for migration will result in an understanding of a critical early step in the pathogen's infectious cycle. Elucidating the differences between chlamydial directed migration and host vesicle trafficking will lead to possible therapeutic targets for chlamydial control as well as a better understanding of dynein dependent microtubule trafficking.