title: Transcriptional Analysis of 10 Selected Genes in a Model of Penicillin G Induced Persistence of Chlamydophila psittaci in HeLa Cells.
abstract: Chlamydophila psittaci is an important intracellular pathogen. Persistent infection is an important state of the host-parasite interaction in this chlamydial infection, which plays a significant role in spreading the organism within animal populations and in causing chronic chlamydiosis and serious sequelae. In this study, a C. psittaci persistent infection cell model was induced by penicillin G, and real-time quantitative PCR was used to study the transcriptional levels of 10 C. psittaci genes (dnaA, dnaK, ftsW, ftsY, grpE, rpsD, incC, omcB, CPSIT_0846, and CPSIT_0042) in acute and penicillin-G-induced persistent infection cultures. Compared with the acute cultures, the penicillin-G-treated cultures showed a reduced chlamydial inclusion size and a significantly decreased number of elementary body particles. Additionally, some enlarged aberrant reticulate body particles were present in the penicillin- G-treated cultures but not the acute ones. The expression levels of genes encoding products for cell division (FtsW, FtsY) and outer membrane protein E encoding gene (CPSIT_0042) were downregulated (p < 0.05) from 6 h post-infection onward in the persistent infection cultures. Also from 6 h post-infection, the expression levels of DnaA, DnaK, IncC, RpsD, GrpE, and CPSIT_0846 were upregulated (p < 0.05); however, the expression level of OmcB in the persistent infection was almost the same as that in the acute infection (p > 0.05). These results provide new insight regarding molecular activities that accompany persistence of C. psittaci, which may play important roles in the pathogenesis of C. psittaci infection.
authors: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, P.R. China.
authors: Yanqun
authors: Y
authors: Hu
authors: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, P.R. China.
authors: Lili
authors: L
authors: Chen
authors: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, P.R. China.
authors: Chuan
authors: C
authors: Wang
authors: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, P.R. China.
authors: Yafeng
authors: Y
authors: Xie
authors: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, P.R. China.
authors: Zhixi
authors: Z
authors: Chen
authors: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, P.R. China.
authors: Liangzhuan
authors: L
authors: Liu
authors: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, P.R. China.
authors: Zehong
authors: Z
authors: Su
authors: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, P.R. China.
authors: Yimou
authors: Y
authors: Wu
mesh_terms: D002691:Chlamydophila psittaci / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000382:microbiology*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D010400:Penicillin G / Q000378:metabolism*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D010400:Penicillin G
keywords: Chlamydophila psittaci; penicillin G; persistent infection; transcription