Novel Effector Protein Secretion and Transcriptional Regulation of the Type Three Secretion System in Chlamydia trachomatis.

Abstract

Chlamydia trachomatis is an obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen with a significant public health impact. A unifying characteristic of Chlamydia is the biphasic developmental cycle that is intimately linked to pathogenesis. Due to its intracellular lifestyle within a membrane bound vacuole, Chlamydia requires a mechanism to interact with and manipulate the host. To facilitate this interaction, C. trachomatis encodes a Type III Secretion System (T3SS) that is likely requisite for chlamydial growth and integral to the developmental cycle. Additionally, little is known about the mechanisms that regulate the developmental cycle, and the T3SS. This thesis is focused on a translocated T3SS effector protein, CT667, that may serve in manipulation of the host, and the role of a transcriptional factor, ChxR, involved in regulating T3SS expression.