The Periplasmic Tail-Specific Protease, Tsp, Is Essential for Secondary Differentiation in <i>Chlamydia trachomatis</i>
Abigail R. Swoboda, Nicholas Wood, Elizabeth A. Saery, Derek J. Fisher, Scot P. Ouellette
Abstract
The human pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis is the leading cause of preventable infectious blindness and bacterial sexually transmitted infections worldwide. This pathogen has a unique developmental cycle that alternates between distinct forms. However, the key processes of chlamydial development remain obscure. Uncovering the mechanisms of differentiation between its metabolically and functionally distinct developmental forms may foster the discovery of novel Chlamydia-specific therapeutics and limit development of resistant bacterial populations derived from the clinical use of broad-spectrum antibiotics. In this study, we investigate chlamydial tail-specific protease (Tsp) and its function in chlamydial growth and development. Our work implicates Tsp as essential to chlamydial developmental cycle progression and indicates that Tsp is a potential drug target for Chlamydia infections.