Chlamydia is a Gram-negative bacteria. The continuous transformation between the two special forms, the infectious elementary body (EB) and the replicative reticulate body (RB), is a unique feature of Chlamydia. It lacks the mechanism to produce metabolic energy and cannot synthesize adenosine triphosphate. This restricts them to intracellular growth, making Chlamydia an obligatory intracellular bacterium. Chlamydia can cause severe clinical infections. For example, Chlamydia in the genital tract can cause many diseases such as tubal edema, pelvic inflammation and ectopic pregnancy. When Chlamydia invades the human body, host cells can initiate innate and adaptive immunity against Chlamydia infection by recognizing antigens secreted at various stages of the developmental cycle. The pathogenesis of Chlamydia mainly includes its lipopolysaccharides, membrane proteins, plasmid-encoded proteins, and secrete effectors that mediate adhesion and invasion of the host cells. Chlamydia can regulate the function of host cells to facilitate its intracellular growth and suppress host immune cells to evade the immune system. Although immune and inflammatory responses can help eliminate Chlamydia and reduce host symptoms, there is still a lack of safe and effective vaccines to prevent Chlamydia infections at the source.
Chlamydia often leads to chronic or even persistent infections, leading to tissue damage or sequelae, such as tubal infertility. However, our understanding of the process of resistance to Chlamydia is still very limited. This requires further understanding of how Chlamydia interacts with host cells and eventually leads to diseases. This research topic aims to collect studies on the molecular mechanisms underlying the interaction between Chlamydia and its host, which will expand our understanding of Chlamydial pathogenesis and inspire the development of novel therapeutic strategies and vaccines against Chlamydia.
The current Research Topic will focus on, but not be limited to, the following subtopics:
• Virulence factors and pathogenesis of Chlamydia
• Molecular mechanisms of host-Chlamydia interactions during infection
Chlamydia is a Gram-negative bacteria. The continuous transformation between the two special forms, the infectious elementary body (EB) and the replicative reticulate body (RB), is a unique feature of Chlamydia. It lacks the mechanism to produce metabolic energy and cannot synthesize adenosine triphosphate. This restricts them to intracellular growth, making Chlamydia an obligatory intracellular bacterium. Chlamydia can cause severe clinical infections. For example, Chlamydia in the genital tract can cause many diseases such as tubal edema, pelvic inflammation and ectopic pregnancy. When Chlamydia invades the human body, host cells can initiate innate and adaptive immunity against Chlamydia infection by recognizing antigens secreted at various stages of the developmental cycle. The pathogenesis of Chlamydia mainly includes its lipopolysaccharides, membrane proteins, plasmid-encoded proteins, and secrete effectors that mediate adhesion and invasion of the host cells. Chlamydia can regulate the function of host cells to facilitate its intracellular growth and suppress host immune cells to evade the immune system. Although immune and inflammatory responses can help eliminate Chlamydia and reduce host symptoms, there is still a lack of safe and effective vaccines to prevent Chlamydia infections at the source.
Chlamydia often leads to chronic or even persistent infections, leading to tissue damage or sequelae, such as tubal infertility. However, our understanding of the process of resistance to Chlamydia is still very limited. This requires further understanding of how Chlamydia interacts with host cells and eventually leads to diseases. This research topic aims to collect studies on the molecular mechanisms underlying the interaction between Chlamydia and its host, which will expand our understanding of Chlamydial pathogenesis and inspire the development of novel therapeutic strategies and vaccines against Chlamydia.
The current Research Topic will focus on, but not be limited to, the following subtopics:
• Virulence factors and pathogenesis of Chlamydia
• Molecular mechanisms of host-Chlamydia interactions during infection