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Intracellular lifestyle of Chlamydia trachomatis and host–pathogen interactions

Nature Reviews Microbiology volume 21, pages 448–462 (2023)Cite this article

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Abstract

In recent years, substantial progress has been made in the understanding of the intracellular lifestyle of Chlamydia trachomatis and how the bacteria establish themselves in the human host. As an obligate intracellular pathogenic bacterium with a strongly reduced coding capacity, C. trachomatis depends on the provision of nutrients from the host cell. In this Review, we summarize the current understanding of how C. trachomatis establishes its intracellular replication niche, how its metabolism functions in the host cell, how it can defend itself against the cell autonomous and innate immune response and how it overcomes adverse situations through the transition to a persistent state. In particular, we focus on those processes for which a mechanistic understanding has been achieved.

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Fig. 1: The developmental cycle of Chlamydia trachomatis.
Fig. 2: Cell autonomous defence against Chlamydia trachomatis.
Fig. 3: Metabolic interactions between Chlamydia trachomatis and the host cell.
Fig. 4: Chlamydia trachomatis interactions with innate immune cells and chlamydial persistence.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank A. Demuth for his excellent support in the production of the figure drafts and revision of the manuscript. This work was funded, in part, by the GRK 2157 ‘3D-Infect’, and the European Research Council (grant no. ERC-2018-ADG/NCI-CAD) to T.R.

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    Kathrin Stelzner, Nadine Vollmuth & Thomas Rudel

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Stelzner, K., Vollmuth, N. & Rudel, T. Intracellular lifestyle of Chlamydia trachomatis and host–pathogen interactions. Nat Rev Microbiol 21, 448–462 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-023-00860-y

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