Estrogens modulates the expression of Rabs proteins in endometrial cells infected with Chlamydia trachomatis

LEIVA N; NOLLY M; SANCHEZ D; DAMIANI MT

Mendoza

Congreso; XXXVI Reunión científica anual. Sociedad de Biología de Cuyo; 2018

Sociedad de Biología de Cuyo

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) are highly prevalent pathologies. There are more than 30 bacteria, viruses and parasites that can cause sexually transmitted infections. Among them, Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) is the most frequent STD bacterial causing agent worldwide. It is an obligate intracellular Gram negative bacterium that multiplies in a non acidic, non degradative, single vacuole called the inclusion. This bacterium avoids degradation in the phagolysosomal pathway, and at the same time, it hijacks the biosynthetic pathway to obtain nutrients from the host cell. CT alters vesicular transport by the sequestration of certain host traffic controllers such as Rab proteins. In addition, chlamydial infections mainly affect women of reproductive age. Thus, sexual hormones may play a role in CT infection course. At present moment, it is unknown whether estrogen could regulate Rab protein expression and/or function and their effectors in CT-infected cells. We have analyzed whether the expression and/or localization of Rab11, 14 and its interacting protein FIP2 could be affected by sexual hormones in CT-infected cells, using advanced confocal microscopy, Western blot and Real Time PCR techniques. Our results show that hormonal microenvironment impacts on chlamydial infection course, Rab proteins and its effectors. These findings could open new scenarios that justify novel therapeutical options for the treatment of chlamydial infections.