Developing mouse models to study circulating memory to Chlamydia infection

衣原体感染是世界范围内致盲的一个原因，也是性传播疾病的一个主要原因。 美方迫切需要更深入地了解粘膜表面对衣原体的保护性免疫， 有效的疫苗将成为现实。该应用程序将检查保护的基本方面 CD4 T细胞在女性生殖道粘膜感染中的作用我们的实验方法是独一无二的， 它利用自然感染途径，使用一种建立的模型，其中CD4 T细胞参与细菌感染， 清除，并允许直接观察内源性和转移的衣原体特异性CD4 T细胞。 我们的申请特别提出建立新的小鼠模型，以了解 通过循环记忆CD4 T细胞介导的保护，和（i）确定先天性淋巴样细胞是否募集 （ii）检查记忆性Th17细胞在协调细菌免疫应答中的贡献， 间隙开发这些感染模型并解决这些问题将扩大我们对 对衣原体的记忆反应，可能对产生新的疫苗至关重要。 重要的人类病原体

Chlamydia infections are a cause of blindness worldwide and a major cause of sexually transmitted disease in the US. Greater understanding of protective immunity to Chlamydia at mucosal surfaces is urgently required if an effective vaccine is to become a reality. This application will examine fundemental aspects of protective CD4 T cells during infection of the female reproductive tract mucosa. Our experimental approach is unique in that it utilizes a natural route of infection, uses an established model where CD4 T cells participate in bacterial clearance, and allows for direct visualization of endogenous and transferred Chlamydia-specific CD4 T cells. Our application specifically proposes to establish new mouse models to understand the mechanism of protection mediated by circulating memory CD4 T cells and, (i) determine whether innate lymphoid cells recruit memory cells to the FRT, (ii) examine the contribution of memory Th17 cells in coordinating bacterial clearance. Developing these infection models and addressing these issues will expand our knowledge of memory responses to Chlamydia and could be vitally important for the generation of a new vaccine for an important human pathogen.