New paper! Molecular Characterization of the ClpC AAA+ ATPase in the Biology of Chlamydia trachomatis

New paper! Molecular Characterization of the ClpC AAA+ ATPase in the Biology of Chlamydia trachomatis

Chlamydia trachomatis is an obligate intracellular pathogen and the world's leading cause of preventable infectious blindness and bacterial sexually transmitted infections. Due to the high prevalence of chlamydial infections along with negative effects of current broad-spectrum treatment strategies, new antichlamydial agents with novel targets are desperately needed. In this context, bacterial Clp proteases have emerged as promising new antibiotic targets, since they often play central roles in bacterial physiology and, for some bacterial species, are even essential for survival. Here, we report on the chlamydial AAA+ unfoldase ClpC, its functional reconstitution and characterization, individually and as part of the ClpCP2P1 protease, and establish an essential role for ClpC in chlamydial growth and intracellular development, thereby identifying ClpC as a potential target for antichlamydial compounds.

Congratulations to all authors: Stefan PanAaron A. JensenNicholas A. Wood, Beate HenrichfreiseHeike Brötz-Oesterhelt, Derek J. FisherPeter Sass and Scot P. Ouellette

Full version of the paper: https://doi.org/10.1128/mbio.00075-23