Cervical epithelial cells from Chlamydia trachomatis-infected sites coexpress higher levels of chlamydial heat shock proteins 60 and 10 in infertile women than in fertile women.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of the present study was to examine the possible relationship between the chlamydial heat shock proteins (cHSP) 60 and 10 expression and the damaging sequelae of a Chlamydia trachomatis infection, such as infertility.


METHODS
Seven fertile and 7 infertile female patients infected with C. trachomatis attending the gynecology outpatient department of Safdarjung hospital (New Delhi, India) were enrolled. The relative transcript levels and intracellular expression of cHSP60 and cHSP10 in cervical cells were assessed using real-time RT-PCR and flow cytometry, respectively.


RESULTS
Quantitative real-time RT-PCR analysis showed that transcript levels of both cHSP60 (p = 0.007) and cHSP10 (p = 0.0006) were higher in infertile women than in fertile women. Flow cytometric analysis showed significantly higher intracellular levels of cHSP60 (p = 0.0006) and cHSP10 (p = 0.0041) in fertile women infected with Chlamydia than in infertile women. However, the percentage of double-positive cells (both cHSP60- and cHSP10-expressing cells) were higher (p = 0.0006) in infertile women than in fertile women.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that cHSP60 and cHSP10 have a different pattern of expression in infertile women compared to fertile women reflecting a probable difference in the metabolic state of Chlamydia with the presence of an abnormal cryptic form of C. trachomatis in infertile women.
Jha
Rajneesh
R
Institute of Pathology - ICMR, Safdarjung Hospital Campus, New Delhi, India.
Vardhan
Harsh
H
Bas
Sylvette
S
Salhan
Sudha
S
Mittal
Aruna
A
D000328:Adult; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D018835:Chaperonin 10 / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D018834:Chaperonin 60 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D002577:Uterine Cervical Diseases / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D018835:Chaperonin 10; D018834:Chaperonin 60; D012333:RNA, Messenger