ArticlePLoS pathogens2020
The Chlamydia trachomatis secreted effector TmeA hijacks the N-WASP-ARP2/3 actin remodeling axis to facilitate cellular invasion.
Article in PLoS pathogens, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 34 papers.
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Who cites it
34 citing papers in PubMed, 44 citations in OpenAlex.
- Mechanisms, management and prevention of anorectal sexually transmitted infections.Nature reviews. Gastroenterology & hepatology · 2026Review
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- Pathogenicity and virulence ofVirulence · 2025Review
- Evidence for a post-invasion role of themBio · 2025Article
- ThebioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
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- Human Papillomavirus Type 16 Stimulates WAVE1- and WAVE2-Dependent Actin Protrusions for Endocytic Entry.Viruses · 2025Article
- The N-terminus of theMicrobiology spectrum · 2025Article
- Chlamydia trachomatis invasion: a duet of effectors.Biochemical Society transactions · 2025Review
- Hijacking host cell vesicular transport: New insights into the nutrient acquisition mechanism ofVirulence · 2024Review
- The N-terminus of thebioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2024Article
- The Chlamydia pneumoniae effector SemD exploits its host's endocytic machinery by structural and functional mimicry.Nature communications · 2024Article
- Article
- Dynamin-dependent entry of Chlamydia trachomatis is sequentially regulated by the effectors TarP and TmeA.Nature communications · 2024Article
- Contributions of diverse models of the female reproductive tract to the study of Chlamydia trachomatis-host interactions.Current opinion in microbiology · 2024Review
- Dynamin-dependent entry ofResearch square · 2023Article
- Identification and Preliminary Characterization of Novel Type III Secreted Effector Proteins in Chlamydia trachomatis.Infection and immunity · 2023Article
- Intracellular lifestyle of Chlamydia trachomatis and host-pathogen interactions.Nature reviews. Microbiology · 2023Review
- TheProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2023Article
- A single chlamydial protein reshapes the plasma membrane and serves as recruiting platform for central endocytic effector proteins.Communications biology · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
As an obligate intracellular pathogen, host cell invasion is paramount to Chlamydia trachomatis proliferation. While the mechanistic underpinnings of this essential process remain ill-defined, it is predicted to involve delivery of prepackaged effector proteins into the host cell that trigger plasma membrane remodeling and cytoskeletal reorganization. The secreted effector proteins TmeA and TarP, have risen to prominence as putative key regulators of cellular invasion and bacterial pathogenesis. Although several studies have begun to unravel molecular details underlying the putative function of TarP, the physiological function of TmeA during host cell invasion is unknown. Here, we show that TmeA employs molecular mimicry to bind to the GTPase binding domain of N-WASP, which results in recruitment of the actin branching ARP2/3 complex to the site of chlamydial entry. Electron microscopy revealed that TmeA mutants are deficient in filopodia capture, suggesting that TmeA/N-WASP interactions ultimately modulate host cell plasma membrane remodeling events necessary for chlamydial entry. Importantly, while both TmeA and TarP are necessary for effective host cell invasion, we show that these effectors target distinct pathways that ultimately converge on activation of the ARP2/3 complex. In line with this observation, we show that a double mutant suffers from a severe entry defect nearly identical to that observed when ARP3 is chemically inhibited or knocked down. Collectively, our study highlights both TmeA and TarP as essential regulators of chlamydial invasion that modulate the ARP2/3 complex through distinct signaling platforms, resulting in plasma membrane remodeling events that are essential for pathogen uptake.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.