Protein Kinase a Manipulation by Chlamydia Trachomatis During Infection

Abstract

The most commonly reported bacterial sexually transmitted infection in the United States is Chlamydia trachomatis which can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, tubal infertility and even increased risk of cervical cancer. C. trachomatis is an obligate intracellular pathogen that lives in a parasitophorous vacuole. After infection, manipulation of different host proteins, including host kinases, aid in intracellular development and survival of C. trachomatis. However, not much is known about the mechanisms utilized by Chlamydia to manipulate host cellular kinases such as Protein Kinase A (PKA). PKA plays a key role in regulation of several cellular processes and is known to be manipulated by another obligate intracellular pathogen, Coxiella burnetii, which has a similar developmental cycle. We hypothesize that C. trachomatis manipulates PKA for intracellular development inside the host. Western blot analysis of lysates of C. trachomatis infected HeLa cells for PKA substrates showed increased phosphorylation during infection. Specific substrates of PKA also showed increased phosphorylation while the total PKA levels were similar across different time points of infection. These findings suggest that PKA is activated during C. trachomatis infection and may be integral to the infection process.