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Tian Q, Zhang T, Shu C, Han Z, Huang Y, Wan J, Wang L, Sun X. Diverse animal models for Chlamydia infections: unraveling pathogenesis through the genital and gastrointestinal tracts. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1386343. [PMID: 38605708 PMCID: PMC11007077 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1386343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Chlamydia trachomatis is responsible for infections in various mucosal tissues, including the eyes, urogenital, respiratory, and gastrointestinal tracts. Chronic infections can result in severe consequences such as blindness, ectopic pregnancy, and infertility. The underlying mechanisms leading to these diseases involve sustained inflammatory responses, yet thorough comprehension of the underlying mechanisms remains elusive. Chlamydial biologists employ in multiple methods, integrating biochemistry, cell biology, and genetic tools to identify bacterial factors crucial for host cell interactions. While numerous animal models exist to study chlamydial pathogenesis and assess vaccine efficacy, selecting appropriate models for biologically and clinically relevant insights remains a challenge. Genital infection models in animals have been pivotal in unraveling host-microbe dynamics, identifying potential chlamydial virulence factors influencing genital pathogenicity. However, the transferability of this knowledge to human pathogenic mechanisms remains uncertain. Many putative virulence factors lack assessment in optimal animal tissue microenvironments, despite the diverse chlamydial infection models available. Given the propensity of genital Chlamydia to spread to the gastrointestinal tract, investigations into the pathogenicity and immunological impact of gut Chlamydia become imperative. Notably, the gut emerges as a promising site for both chlamydial infection vaccination and pathogenesis. This review elucidates the pathogenesis of Chlamydia infections and delineates unique features of prevalent animal model systems. The primary focus of this review is to consolidate and summarize current animal models utilized in Chlamydia researches, presenting findings, discussions on their contributions, and suggesting potential directions for further studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Tian
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Hunan Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, China
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory for Birth Defect Research and Prevention, Hunan Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Tianyuan Zhang
- Key Lab of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Shanghai Institute of Immunity and Infection, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Chuqiang Shu
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Hunan Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, China
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory for Birth Defect Research and Prevention, Hunan Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Zixuan Han
- Key Laboratory of Multi-Cell Systems, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Youyou Huang
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Hunan Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Jiao Wan
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Hunan Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Luying Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 3rd Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Xin Sun
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 3rd Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
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Winner H, Friesenhahn A, Wang Y, Stanbury N, Wang J, He C, Zhong G. Regulation of chlamydial colonization by IFNγ delivered via distinct cells. Trends Microbiol 2023; 31:270-279. [PMID: 36175276 PMCID: PMC9974551 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2022.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Revised: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The mouse-adapted pathogen Chlamydia muridarum (CM) induces pathology in the mouse genital tract but fails to do so in the gastrointestinal tract. CM is cleared from both the genital tract and small intestine by IFNγ delivered by antigen-specific CD4+ T cells but persists for a long period in the large intestine. The long-lasting colonization of CM in the large intestine is regulated by IFNγ delivered by group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s). Interestingly, the ILC3-delivered IFNγ can inhibit the human pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) in the mouse endometrium. Thus, IFNγ produced/delivered by different cells may selectively restrict chlamydial colonization in different tissues. Revealing the underlying mechanisms of chlamydial interactions with IFNγ produced by different cells may yield new insights into both chlamydial pathogenicity and mucosal immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Halah Winner
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX 78230, USA
| | - Ann Friesenhahn
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX 78230, USA
| | - Yihui Wang
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX 78230, USA; College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Two Yuanmingyuan Xi Lu, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, PR China
| | - Nicholas Stanbury
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX 78230, USA
| | - Jie Wang
- Department of Immunology, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410013, PR China
| | - Cheng He
- College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Two Yuanmingyuan Xi Lu, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, PR China
| | - Guangming Zhong
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX 78230, USA.
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Chen H, Min S, Wang L, Zhao L, Luo F, Lei W, Wen Y, Luo L, Zhou Q, Peng L, Li Z. Lactobacillus Modulates Chlamydia Infectivity and Genital Tract Pathology in vitro and in vivo. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:877223. [PMID: 35572713 PMCID: PMC9098263 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.877223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Since we previously reported that women infected with chlamydia had a significant overall reduction in Lactobacillus in the vagina microbiota as compared to those uninfected individuals; the interactions between the altered Lactobacillus and Chlamydia trachomatis, on the other hand, need to be elucidated. Here, we employed both in vitro and in vivo models to evaluate the effects of this changed Lactobacillus on Chlamydia infection. We found that L. iners, L. crispatus, L. jensenii, L. salivarius, L. gasseri, L. mucosae, and L. reuteri all significantly reduced C. trachomatis infection in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The strongest anti-Chlamydia effects were found in L. crispatus (90 percent reduction), whereas the poorest was found in L. iners (50 percent reduction). D (–) lactic acid was the key component in Lactobacillus cell-free supernatants (CFS) to inactivate Chlamydia EBs, showing a positive correlation with the anti-Chlamydia activity. The effects of D (–) lactic acid were substantially attenuated by neutralizing the pH value to 7.0. In vivo, mice intravaginally inoculated with Lactobacillus mixtures (L. crispatus, L. reuteri, and L. iners at a ratio of 1:1:1), but not single Lactobacillus, after genital Chlamydia infection, significantly attenuated the levels of Chlamydia live organism shedding in both the lower genital tract and the intestinal tract, reduced cytokines production (TNF-α, IFN-γ, and IL-1β) in the vagina, and lessened upper genital tract inflammation and pathogenicity. Taken together, these data demonstrate that Lactobacillus inhibits Chlamydia infectivity both in vivo and in vitro, providing useful information for the development of Lactobacillus as adjunctive treatment in Chlamydia infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongliang Chen
- Chenzhou No.1 People's Hospital, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Chenzhou, China.,Institute of Pathogenic Biology, Hengyang Medical College, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Special Pathogens Prevention and Control, Hunan Province Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, University of South China, Hengyang, China.,Chenzhou No.1 People's Hospital, The First School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Chenzhou, China
| | - Shuling Min
- Chenzhou No.1 People's Hospital, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Chenzhou, China.,Institute of Pathogenic Biology, Hengyang Medical College, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Special Pathogens Prevention and Control, Hunan Province Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Li Wang
- Chenzhou No.1 People's Hospital, The First School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Chenzhou, China
| | - Lanhua Zhao
- Institute of Pathogenic Biology, Hengyang Medical College, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Special Pathogens Prevention and Control, Hunan Province Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Fangzhen Luo
- Institute of Pathogenic Biology, Hengyang Medical College, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Special Pathogens Prevention and Control, Hunan Province Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Wenbo Lei
- Institute of Pathogenic Biology, Hengyang Medical College, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Special Pathogens Prevention and Control, Hunan Province Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Yating Wen
- Institute of Pathogenic Biology, Hengyang Medical College, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Special Pathogens Prevention and Control, Hunan Province Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Lipei Luo
- Chenzhou No.1 People's Hospital, The First School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Chenzhou, China
| | - Qianting Zhou
- Chenzhou No.1 People's Hospital, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Chenzhou, China
| | - Lixiu Peng
- Chenzhou No.1 People's Hospital, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Chenzhou, China
| | - Zhongyu Li
- Institute of Pathogenic Biology, Hengyang Medical College, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Special Pathogens Prevention and Control, Hunan Province Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, University of South China, Hengyang, China
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Abstract
Despite the extensive efforts, there is still a lack of a licensed vaccine against
Chlamydia trachomatis
in humans. The mouse genital tract infection with
Chlamydia muridarum
has been used to both investigate chlamydial pathogenic mechanisms and evaluate vaccine candidates due to the
C. muridarum’s
ability to induce mouse hydrosalpinx.
C. muridarum
mutants lacking the entire plasmid or deficient in only the plasmid-encoded pGP3 are highly attenuated in inducing hydrosalpinx. We now report that intravaginal immunization with these mutants as live attenuated vaccines protected mice from hydrosalpinx induced by wild type
C. muridarum
. However, these mutants still productively infected the mouse genital tract. Further, the mutant-infected mice were only partially protected against the subsequent infection with wild type
C. muridarum
. Thus, these mutants as vaccines are neither safe nor effective when they are delivered via the genital tract. Interestingly, these mutants were highly deficient in colonizing the gastrointestinal tract. Particularly, the pGP3-deficient mutant failed to shed live organisms from mice following an oral inoculation, suggesting that the pGP3-deficient mutant may be developed into a safe oral vaccine. Indeed, oral inoculation with the pGP3-deficient mutant induced robust transmucosal immunity against both the infection and pathogenicity of wild type
C. muridarum
in the genital tract. Thus, we have demonstrated that the plasmid-encoded virulence factor pGP3 may be targeted for developing an attenuated live oral vaccine.
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Zhou Z, Tian Q, Wang L, Sun X, Zhang N, Xue M, Xu D, Zhong G. Characterization of pathogenic CD8 + T cells in Chlamydia-infected OT1 mice. Infect Immun 2021;:IAI0045321. [PMID: 34724387 DOI: 10.1128/IAI.00453-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Chlamydia trachomatis is a leading infectious cause of infertility in women due to its induction of lasting pathology such as hydrosalpinx. Chlamydia muridarum induces mouse hydrosalpinx because C. muridarum can both invade tubal epithelia directly (as a 1st hit) and induce lymphocytes to promote hydrosalpinx indirectly (as a 2nd hit). In the current study, a critical role of CD8+ T cells in chlamydial induction of hydrosalpinx was validated in both wild type C57BL/6J and OT1 transgenic mice. OT1 mice failed to develop hydrosalpinx partially due to the failure of their lymphocytes to recognize chlamydial antigens. CD8+ T cells from naïve C57BL/6J rescued the recipient OT1 mice to develop hydrosalpinx when naïve CD8+ T cells were transferred at the time of infection with Chlamydia. However, when the transfer was delayed for 2 weeks or longer after the chlamydial infection, naïve CD8+ T cells no longer promoted hydrosalpinx. Nevertheless, Chlamydia-immunized CD8+ T cells still promoted significant hydrosalpinx in the recipient OT1 mice even when the transfer was delayed for 3 weeks. Thus, CD8+ T cells must be primed within 2 weeks after chlamydial infection to be pathogenic but once primed, they can promote hydrosalpinx for >3 weeks. However, Chlamydia-primed CD4+ T cells failed to promote chlamydial induction of pathology in OT1 mice. This study has optimized an OT1 mouse-based model for revealing the pathogenic mechanisms of Chlamydia-specific CD8+ T cells.
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