Mutations in the hexose phosphate transporter UhpC identify a glucose-6-phosphate sensing function active in Chlamydia trachomatis linked to virulence gene regulation.
Chlamydia trachomatis is an obligate intracellular bacterium that infects ~100 million people annually worldwide and leaves ~1 million women infertile. This study identified a bacterial cell membrane sensor that enables these organisms to respond to fluctuating glucose availability by activating a pathway that leads to altered morphology and down-regulation of genes associated with infectivity and virulence. Our cell culture-based study indicates that glucose sensing is important for survival of this genital tract pathogen and may contribute to chronic infection with reduced immunopathologic potential.