Simkania negevensis containing vacuoles: Formation, trafficking and subversion of host signaling

衣原体目的细胞内专性细菌是如何在宿主细胞中建立和维持它们的复制液泡的，这在很大程度上仍然是未知的。阴性Simkania negevensis属于该菌群，与致病性肺炎衣原体和沙眼衣原体密切相关。Simkania感染哺乳动物细胞和变形虫，因此代表了衣原体致病性和环境成员之间几乎没有特征的进化中间体。我们最近的数据表明，狐猴在一个不寻常的液泡中复制，该液泡位于内质网内，与宿主线粒体紧密相连。在这里，我们研究了含simkania液泡（SCV）调节的分子机制。我们将探讨SCV的形成和运输以及与宿主内质网和线粒体的相互作用。此外，病原体如何控制宿主细胞凋亡程序的基础将被研究。我们希望揭示在感染Simkania期间内质网和线粒体是如何被修饰的，以及这种修饰如何有助于SCV的建立和维持。

It is still largely unknown how obligate intracellular bacteria of the order Chlamydiales establish and maintain their replicative vacuole in host cells. Simkania negevensis belongs to this group of bacteria and is closely related to the pathogenic Chlamydophila pneumoniae and Chlamydia trachomatis. Simkania infects both mammalian cells and amoeba, and thus represents a barely characterized evolutionary intermediate between the pathogenic and environmental members of the Chlamydiales. Our recent data demonstrated that Simkania replicates in an unusual vacuole which is located within the endoplasmic reticulum and is tightly connected to the host mitochondria. Here, we investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the accommodation of the Simkania-containing vacuole (SCV). We will explore the formation and trafficking of the SCV and the interaction with the host endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria. Further, the basis of how the pathogen controls the apoptotic program of the host cell will be investigated. We expect to unravel how the endoplasmic reticulum and the mitochondria are modified during infection with Simkania and how this modification contributes to the establishment and maintenance of the SCV.