# Role of Chlamydia trachomatis Inc Proteins in Modulating the Immune Response

> **NIH NIH R15** · OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY STILLWATER · 2021 · $46,283

## Abstract

Title: The Role of Chlamydia trachomatis Inc Proteins in Modulating the Immune
Response
Chlamydia trachomatis is the most commonly reported bacterial infection in the United States
and the leading cause of sexually transmitted infections worldwide with approximately 90 million
new cases reported annually. Infection by C. trachomatis can lead to severe medical
complications in women including pelvic inflammatory disease. Despite these concerns there
are fundamental gaps in our understanding of Chlamydia pathogenesis, particularly with regards
to the host immune response and mechanisms used to manipulate host proteins for intracellular
survival and dissemination. The long term goal of our research is to determine the role of two
chlamydial inclusion membrane proteins during C. trachomatis infection and the subsequent
immune response. Based on our preliminary as well as our recently published data, the central
hypothesis is that Chlamydial Inc proteins, CT226 and CT228, are important factors for
driving host immune responses. With the latest innovative genetic tools and transformation
methods, C. trachomatis is no longer genetically intractable. Thus, we propose to genetically
mutate and complement CT226 as we have previously accomplished with CT228. The CT226
deletion mutant will be assessed for loss of specific host cell protein recruitment, infectious
progeny formation and any defects in cell culture. Both the CT226 deletion mutant and
previously described CT228 deletion mutant will be assessed in the murine infection model.
These studies will determine the role of both Chlamydial Inc proteins CT226 and CT228 in
Chlamydia pathogenesis. As such, the proposed research is critical to understanding the role
inclusion membrane proteins have in host immune response during C. trachomatis infections
and will address a key fundamental gap in Chlamydia pathogenesis.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10399706
- **Project number:** 3R15AI149439-01S1
- **Recipient organization:** OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY STILLWATER
- **Principal Investigator:** Erika Ildiko Lutter
- **Activity code:** R15 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $46,283
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2020-03-01 → 2023-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10399706

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10399706, Role of Chlamydia trachomatis Inc Proteins in Modulating the Immune Response (3R15AI149439-01S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10399706. Licensed CC0.

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