Abstract
Chlamydiae have to replicate within a cytoplasmic vacuole in eukaryotic cells. Expansion of the chlamydialaden vacuole is essential for chlamydial intravacuolar replication, which inevitably causes host cell cytoskeleton rearrangements. A cleavage fragment of keratin 8 corresponding to the central rod region was detected in the soluble fraction of chlamydia-infected cells. Since keratin 8 is a major component of the intermediate filaments in simple epithelial cells, cleavage of keratin 8 may increase the solubility of the host cell cytoskeleton and thus permit vacuole expansion in chlamydia-infected cells. A chlamydia-secreted protease designated CPAF (chlamydial protease/proteasome- like activity factor) was both necessary and sufficient for keratin 8 cleavage in chlamydia-infected cells, suggesting that chlamydiae have evolved specific mechanisms for modifying the host cell cytoskeleton.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 3863-3868 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Infection and immunity |
Volume | 72 |
Issue number | 7 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jul 2004 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Infectious Diseases
- Parasitology
- Microbiology
- Immunology