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Behind the chlamydial cloak: the replication cycle of chlamydiaphage Chp2, revealed

Behind the chlamydial cloak: the replication cycle of chlamydiaphage Chp2, revealed
Behind the chlamydial cloak: the replication cycle of chlamydiaphage Chp2, revealed
Studying the replication of the chlamydiaphages presents significant challenges. Their host bacteria, chlamydiae, have a unique obligate intracellular developmental cycle. Using qPCR, immunochemistry, and electron microscopy, the life cycle of chlamydiaphage Chp2 was characterised. Chp2 infection has a dramatic inhibitory effect on bacterial cell division. The RB to EB transition is arrested and RBs enlarge without further division. There is a phase of rapid Chp2 genome replication 36 to 48 h post infection that is coincident with the expression of viral proteins and the replication of the host chromosome. The end stage of Chp2 replication is characterised by the appearance of paracrystalline structures followed by bacterial cell lysis. These data indicate that the Chp2 life cycle is closely coordinated with the developmental cycle of its bacterial host. This is a remarkable adaptation by a microvirus to infect and replicate in a bacterial host that has an obligate intracellular developmental cycle.
chlamydiaphage, Chp2, chlamydia, developmental cycle, life cycle
0022-538X
440-445
Salim, Omar
a8a00604-9e57-4638-8c96-5b37e75fee90
Skilton, Rachel J.
b02d4f32-609c-4074-b616-ec819b018dbe
Lambden, Paul R.
171bc229-5aac-46ed-b3ff-9c07ada890f0
Fane, Bentley A.
18eefa7a-5999-4e03-8ebb-f16e05e3af13
Clarke, Ian N.
ff6c9324-3547-4039-bb2c-10c0b3327a8b
Salim, Omar
a8a00604-9e57-4638-8c96-5b37e75fee90
Skilton, Rachel J.
b02d4f32-609c-4074-b616-ec819b018dbe
Lambden, Paul R.
171bc229-5aac-46ed-b3ff-9c07ada890f0
Fane, Bentley A.
18eefa7a-5999-4e03-8ebb-f16e05e3af13
Clarke, Ian N.
ff6c9324-3547-4039-bb2c-10c0b3327a8b

Salim, Omar, Skilton, Rachel J., Lambden, Paul R., Fane, Bentley A. and Clarke, Ian N. (2008) Behind the chlamydial cloak: the replication cycle of chlamydiaphage Chp2, revealed. Journal of Virology, 377 (2), 440-445. (doi:10.1016/j.virol.2008.05.001).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Studying the replication of the chlamydiaphages presents significant challenges. Their host bacteria, chlamydiae, have a unique obligate intracellular developmental cycle. Using qPCR, immunochemistry, and electron microscopy, the life cycle of chlamydiaphage Chp2 was characterised. Chp2 infection has a dramatic inhibitory effect on bacterial cell division. The RB to EB transition is arrested and RBs enlarge without further division. There is a phase of rapid Chp2 genome replication 36 to 48 h post infection that is coincident with the expression of viral proteins and the replication of the host chromosome. The end stage of Chp2 replication is characterised by the appearance of paracrystalline structures followed by bacterial cell lysis. These data indicate that the Chp2 life cycle is closely coordinated with the developmental cycle of its bacterial host. This is a remarkable adaptation by a microvirus to infect and replicate in a bacterial host that has an obligate intracellular developmental cycle.

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More information

Published date: August 2008
Keywords: chlamydiaphage, Chp2, chlamydia, developmental cycle, life cycle

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 59406
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/59406
ISSN: 0022-538X
PURE UUID: 18fd5bb1-2b18-41c4-812b-fdf859a81dda
ORCID for Omar Salim: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-2562-4827
ORCID for Ian N. Clarke: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-4938-1620

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 04 Sep 2008
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 03:17

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Contributors

Author: Omar Salim ORCID iD
Author: Rachel J. Skilton
Author: Paul R. Lambden
Author: Bentley A. Fane
Author: Ian N. Clarke ORCID iD

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