title: Reorganization of the host cytoskeleton by the intracellular pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis.
abstract: Chlamydiae are obligate intracellular pathogens that cause a wide range of human diseases. Chlamydia resides in a membrane bound vacuole ("inclusion") that expands to accommodate replicating bacteria. We recently reported that Chlamydia remodels and recruit two major cytoskeletal components of the host cell- F-actin and Intermediate filaments-to form a dynamic scaffold that provides structural stability to the inclusion. As the inclusion expands, a secreted chlamydial protease progressively modifies the intermediate filaments scaffold, presumably to increase the inclusion's flexibility and accommodate the increased bacterial load. This represents a unique mechanism employed by an intracellular pathogen to support its intracellular niche and may be linked to immune evasion by this pathogen. Here, we discuss the potential consequences of Chlamydia-mediated alteration of host cytoskeletal dynamics on the pathogenesis of chlamydial infections.
authors.affiliation: Center for Microbial Pathogenesis and Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology; Duke University Medical Center; Durham, North Carolina USA.
authors.forename: Yadunanda
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Raphael H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Valdivia
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