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Infection and Immunity, April 1999, p. 1666-1671, Vol. 67, No. 4
0019-9567/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Intracellular Tryptophan Pool Sizes May Account for Differences in Gamma Interferon-Mediated Inhibition and Persistence of Chlamydial Growth in Polarized and Nonpolarized Cells

Colleen D. Kane, Renee M. Vena, Scot P. Ouellette, and Gerald I. Byrne^*

Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706

Received 25 August 1998/Returned for modification 4 December 1998/Accepted 19 January 1999

Gamma interferon (IFN-) is an important factor in the modulating inhibition of intracellular chlamydial growth and persistence. In human epithelial cells and macrophages, this inhibition is the result of depletion of the essential amino acid tryptophan via the IFN--induced enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase. Under these conditions, chlamydiae must successfully compete with the host cell for limited resources in order to maintain viability. We provide evidence to support the hypothesis that the host cell polarization state influences the host-pathogen interplay and outcome of IFN--mediated inhibition. In polarized cells, intracellular soluble tryptophan pools were larger than those in nonpolarized cells despite only small differences in the initial uptake rate of this amino acid compared to that in nonpolarized cells. Furthermore, in Chlamydia trachomatis-infected cells, the amounts of tryptophan consumed by the organisms were similar for cells grown in either state. We propose that intracellular tryptophan pool sizes can account for differences in IFN--mediated chlamydial persistence and growth inhibition in polarized and nonpolarized cells. Collectively, these results argue that polarized cell models, which more accurately reflect the conditions in vivo, may be more relevant than conventionally cultured cells in the study of intimate intracellular host-parasite interactions.

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^* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin, 1300 University Ave., Madison, WI 53706. Phone: (608) 263-2494. Fax: (608) 262-8418. E-mail: gibyrne{at}facstaff.wisc.edu.

Present address: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814-4799.

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Infection and Immunity, April 1999, p. 1666-1671, Vol. 67, No. 4
0019-9567/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

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