Capsid protein Vp1 from chlamydiaphage φCPG1 effectively alleviates cytotoxicity induced by Chlamydia�trachomatis

Abstract

Chlamydia trachomatis is the leading cause of sexually transmitted bacterial infections. C. trachomatis genital infection may lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy and tubal infertility, which are major public health problems. However, the pathogenic mechanisms of this bacterium remain unclear, and the efficacy of clinical therapeutics is unsatisfactory. In the current study, whether Vp1 can alleviate the cytotoxicity induced by Chlamydia trachomatis infection was investigated. C. trachomatis was pre-treated with BSA or purified Vp1 protein and used to infect HeLa cells. It was observed that Vp1 significantly inhibited the infectivity of C. trachomatis in cell cultures. In addition, the Vp1 pretreatment reduced the chlamydial Hsp60 protein levels and decreased the C. trachomatis inclusion number. The Vp1 pretreatment also prevented C. trachomatis-induced cytotoxicity in host cells. Furthermore, the chlamydial suppression of host cell proapoptotic p53 protein and the induction of antiapoptotic cIAP-2 and Mcl-1 gene expression were reversed by the Vp1 pretreatment. These observations suggest that Vp1 has a clear inhibitory effect on C. trachomatis growth in vitro.

Phage-mimicking antibacterial core–shell nanoparticles

“… 36 Bacteriophages of the genus Chlamydiamicrovirus are known to initiate infection of the bacterial host cell by pilus-mediated adsorption, which is dependent on the external bacteriophage structure as well as the host cell receptors. 37–40 Additionally, the surface density of protein turrets on the Staphylococcus aureus infecting bacteriophage P68 (0.0023 nm −2 ) is 85% similar to the surface density of gold nanospheres on the larger 130 nm phage-mimicking ANPs (0.0020 nm −2 ). 32 Thus, the surface density of silver-coated gold nanospheres on the silica cores of both phage-mimicking ANP sizes is closely related to the surface density of protein turrets of pathogen-infecting bacteriophages which is indicative of the phage structure mimicking properties of our phage-mimicking ANPs.…”

Antibodies specific to ferritin light chain polypeptide are frequently detected in patients with immune‑related pancytopenia

“…The supernatant and precipitate of empty pEASY-E1 in E. coli BL21 (DE3) cells were obtained using the same protocol. The protein in the supernatant and precipitate was used for SDS-PAGE using a 15% SDS gel, and the resolved protein bands were visualized using Coomassie brilliant blue staining ( 31 ).…”