title: Chlamydophila pneumoniae. Mechanisms of target cell infection and activation.
abstract: Chlamydophila (Chlamydia) pneumoniae, a gram-negative obligate intracellular bacterium, is a widespread respiratory pathogen. Chronic C. pneumoniae infection has been suggested as a trigger/promoter of inflammation that may result in vascular lesions. Although the genome of C. pneumoniae has been sequenced completely this information has not yet led to an understanding of the mechanisms of acute infection and target cell activation nor to the identification of potential chlamydial virulence factors. Intriguingly, current antibiotic treatment options for acute chlamydial infection were proven to be ineffective with respect to clinical outcome in different groups of atherosclerotic patients. The reason might be that primary infection of vascular smooth muscle cells and blood monocytes with C. pneumoniae resembles rather a persistent, antibiotic-resistant, than an active infection. In this review we will focus on the importance of putative host cell receptors for C. pneumoniae and subsequently activated signal transduction pathways.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicin/Infectious Diseases, Charité, Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany. matthias.kruell@charite.de
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Krüll
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maass
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Suttorp
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rupp
mesh_terms: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D016993:Chlamydophila pneumoniae / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D009000:Monocytes / Q000382:microbiology; D032389:Myocytes, Smooth Muscle / Q000382:microbiology; D015398:Signal Transduction; D037521:Virulence Factors
chemical_list: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D037521:Virulence Factors