This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Jendro, M. C.
Right arrow Articles by Zeidler, H.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Jendro, M. C.
Right arrow Articles by Zeidler, H.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Infection and Immunity, December 2000, p. 6704-6711, Vol. 68, No. 12
0019-9567/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Infection of Human Monocyte-Derived Macrophages with Chlamydia trachomatis Induces Apoptosis of T Cells: a Potential Mechanism for Persistent Infection

Michael C. Jendro,1,* Tobias Deutsch,1 Britta Körber,1 Lars Köhler,1 Jens G. Kuipers,1 Birgit Krausse-Opatz,1 Jürgen Westermann,2 Elke Raum,3 and Henning Zeidler1

Departments of Rheumatology,1 Anatomy,2 and Epidemiology, Social Medicine, and Health System Research,3 Medical School Hannover, Hannover, Germany

Received 18 January 2000/Returned for modification 29 February 2000/Accepted 8 September 2000

Viruses can escape T-cell surveillance by infecting macrophages and thereby induce apoptosis of noninfected T cells. This ability had not been demonstrated for bacteria. We investigated whether infection of macrophages with the important human pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis can induce T-cell apoptosis. Because Chlamydia-Mycoplasma coinfection is a frequent event, the ability of Mycoplasma fermentans-infected macrophages to induce T-cell apoptosis was also studied. Infected macrophages were cocultivated with autologous T cells in different activation states. Propidium iodide-based fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis demonstrated that macrophages infected with viable chlamydiae induced T-cell death. Apoptosis was identified as the mode of death induction by using a terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling assay. Induction of T-cell death was macrophage dependent. Incubation of T cells with infectious chlamydiae in the absence of macrophages did not lead to T-cell apoptosis. UV irradiation of chlamydiae diminished the ability to induce death. T-cell death was induced by a cell-free supernatant of infected macrophages. Not only phytohemagglutinin-preactivated T cells but also non-mitogen-preactivated T cells were susceptible to C. trachomatis-induced apoptosis. In contrast, M. fermentans infection of macrophages did not induce T-cell death. Coinfection had no additional effect. In summary, intracellular chlamydial infection of macrophages can induce T-cell apoptosis. Apoptosis induction by chlamydiae possibly explains how persistently infected macrophages escape T-cell surveillance and why the Chlamydia-specific T-cell response is diminished during persistent chlamydial infection.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Rheumatology, Medical School Hannover, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany. Phone: (49) 511-532-2190. Fax: (49) 511-532-5841. E-mail: Jendro.Michael{at}Mh-Hannover.de.

Infection and Immunity, December 2000, p. 6704-6711, Vol. 68, No. 12
0019-9567/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Cunningham, K. A., Beagley, K. W. (2008). Male Genital Tract Chlamydial Infection: Implications for Pathology and Infertility. Biol. Reprod. 79: 180-189 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Anttila, T., Tenkanen, L., Lumme, S., Leinonen, M., Gislefoss, R. E., Hallmans, G., Thoresen, S., Hakulinen, T., Luostarinen, T., Stattin, P., Saikku, P., Dillner, J., Lehtinen, M., Hakama, M. (2005). Chlamydial Antibodies and Risk of Prostate Cancer. Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev. 14: 385-389 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Colmegna, I., Cuchacovich, R., Espinoza, L. R. (2004). HLA-B27-Associated Reactive Arthritis: Pathogenetic and Clinical Considerations. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 17: 348-369 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Greene, W., Xiao, Y., Huang, Y., McClarty, G., Zhong, G. (2004). Chlamydia-Infected Cells Continue To Undergo Mitosis and Resist Induction of Apoptosis. Infect. Immun. 72: 451-460 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Neumeister, B., Faigle, M., Lauber, K., Northoff, H., Wesselborg, S. (2002). Legionella pneumophila induces apoptosis via the mitochondrial death pathway. Microbiology 148: 3639-3650 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Dean, D., Powers, V. C. (2001). Persistent Chlamydia trachomatis Infections Resist Apoptotic Stimuli. Infect. Immun. 69: 2442-2447 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»