Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Queensland 4059, Australia.
BMC Microbiol. 2011 Jun 25;11:150. doi: 10.1186/1471-2180-11-150.
Chlamydia trachomatis is a major cause of sexually transmitted disease in humans. Previous studies in both humans and animal models of chlamydial genital tract infection have suggested that the hormonal status of the genital tract epithelium at the time of exposure can influence the outcome of the chlamydial infection. We performed a whole genome transcriptional profiling study of C. trachomatis infection in ECC-1 cells under progesterone or estradiol treatment.
Both hormone treatments caused a significant shift in the sub-set of genes expressed (25% of the transcriptome altered by more than 2-fold). Overall, estradiol treatment resulted in the down-regulation of 151 genes, including those associated with lipid and nucleotide metabolism. Of particular interest was the up-regulation in estradiol-supplemented cultures of six genes (omcB, trpB, cydA, cydB, pyk and yggV), which suggest a stress response similar to that reported previously in other models of chlamydial persistence. We also observed morphological changes consistent with a persistence response. By comparison, progesterone supplementation resulted in a general up-regulation of an energy utilising response.
Our data shows for the first time, that the treatment of chlamydial host cells with key reproductive hormones such as progesterone and estradiol, results in significantly altered chlamydial gene expression profiles. It is likely that these chlamydial expression patterns are survival responses, evolved by the pathogen to enable it to overcome the host's innate immune response. The induction of chlamydial persistence is probably a key component of this survival response.
沙眼衣原体是人类性传播疾病的主要病因。之前在人类和动物衣原体生殖道感染模型中的研究表明，生殖道上皮在暴露时的激素状态会影响衣原体感染的结果。我们在孕激素或雌二醇处理的 ECC-1 细胞中进行了沙眼衣原体感染的全基因组转录谱研究。
两种激素处理都导致了表达基因子集的显著变化（转录组的 25%发生了 2 倍以上的改变）。总的来说，雌二醇处理导致 151 个基因下调，包括与脂质和核苷酸代谢相关的基因。特别有趣的是，在雌二醇补充培养物中，六个基因（omcB、trpB、cydA、cydB、pyk 和 yggV）上调，这表明存在类似于先前在其他衣原体持续存在模型中报道的应激反应。我们还观察到与持续反应一致的形态变化。相比之下，孕激素补充导致能量利用反应的普遍上调。
我们的数据首次表明，用关键生殖激素如孕激素和雌二醇处理衣原体宿主细胞，会导致衣原体基因表达谱发生显著变化。这种衣原体表达模式很可能是病原体为了使其能够克服宿主先天免疫反应而进化出的生存反应。诱导衣原体持续存在可能是这种生存反应的一个关键组成部分。
