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Advances and Obstacles in the Genetic Dissection of Chlamydial Virulence

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Biology of Chlamydia

Part of the book series: Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology ((CT MICROBIOLOGY,volume 412))

Abstract

Obligate intracellular pathogens in the family Chlamydiaceae infect taxonomically diverse eukaryotes ranging from amoebae to mammals. However, many fundamental aspects of chlamydial cell biology and pathogenesis remain poorly understood. Genetic dissection of chlamydial biology has historically been hampered by a lack of genetic tools. Exploitation of the ability of chlamydia to recombine genomic material by lateral gene transfer (LGT) ushered in a new era in chlamydia research. With methods to map mutations in place, genetic screens were able to assign functions and phenotypes to specific chlamydial genes. Development of an approach for stable transformation of chlamydia also provided a mechanism for gene delivery and platforms for disrupting chromosomal genes. Here, we explore how these and other tools have been used to test hypotheses concerning the functions of known chlamydial virulence factors and discover the functions of completely uncharacterized genes. Refinement and extension of the existing genetic tools to additional Chlamydia spp. will substantially advance understanding of the biology and pathogenesis of this important group of pathogens.

Julie A. Brothwell and Matthew K. Muramatsu—Equal contributions

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Acknowledgements

DE Nelson was supported by grants AI099278 and AI116706, and G Zhong was supported by grants AI121989, AI105712, AI047997, from the United States National Institutes of Health, Division of Allery and Infectious Diseases. We would like Drs. Harlan Caldwell and Derek Fisher for discussion and insights regarding aspects of this manuscript. Finally, any oversights of relevant studies were not intentional and the authors would like to apologize for any instance of this in advance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA

    Julie A. Brothwell, Matthew K. Muramatsu & David E. Nelson

  2. Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA

    Guangming Zhong

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  1. Julie A. Brothwell
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  2. Matthew K. Muramatsu
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  3. Guangming Zhong
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  4. David E. Nelson
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Correspondence to David E. Nelson .

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  1. Institute of Microbiology and Hygiene, Universitätsklinikum Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany

    Georg Häcker

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Brothwell, J.A., Muramatsu, M.K., Zhong, G., Nelson, D.E. (2017). Advances and Obstacles in the Genetic Dissection of Chlamydial Virulence. In: Häcker, G. (eds) Biology of Chlamydia . Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology, vol 412. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/82_2017_76

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