Chlamydia trachomatis Plasmid Protein pORF5 Up-Regulates ZFAS1 to Promote Host Cell Survival via MAPK/p38 Pathway
Yating Wen, Hongliang Chen, Fangzhen Luo, Lanhua Zhao, Mingyi Shu, Shengmei Su, Yuqi Zhao, Qiulin Huang, Zhongyu Li
Abstract
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been demonstrated to play essential roles in many diseases. However, few studies have shown that lncRNAs take part in the pathogenesis of Chlamydia trachomatis ( C. trachomatis ). Here, we used a lncRNA microarray to detect the global lncRNA expression profiles in HeLa cells transfected with pORF5 plasmid protein, an important virulence factor for C. trachomatis . The differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs screened by microarray were selected for validation by quantitative real-time PCR. The up-regulated lncRNA zinc finger antisense 1 (ZFAS1) was presumed to involved in MAPK pathways by bioinformatics analysis. Inhibition of ZFAS1 decreased the apoptotic rate of pORF5 and reduced the infectivity of C. trachomatis , and MAPK/p38 pathway was involved in anti-apoptotic effect induced by ZFAS1. Therefore, the present study confirmed that pORF5 up-regulates ZFAS1 to promote host cell survival via MAPK/p38 pathway and influences the infectivity of C. trachomatis.