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Cell Autonomous Defenses Against Chlamydia
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Noah Harrison
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Many host cells, including those that are not professional immune cells, are able to mount individual protective defenses against infection by C. trachomatis and other pathogens in a response called cell-autonomous immunity. The Guanylate Binding Proteins (GBPs), and their effectors, play a role in the cell-autonomous defense against C. trachomatis infection in humans and/or mice. There are 11 GBPs in mice and 8 in humans. GBPs have been shown to restrict the growth and proliferation of intracellular pathogens like C. trachomatis, T. gondii, L. monocytogenes, and M. bovis in vitro. Furthermore, GBPs play a critical role in the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. However, to date there has been no characterization of the GBPs role in defending the cell against C. trachomatis in vivo I am interested in elucidating the role of GBPs in vivo. In particular, I wish to see if GBPs assist significantly in defending the cell against C. trachomatis, and if their role in promoting inflammation promotes chlamydial pathology in vivo. |