# Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism to study Chlamydia trachomatis early effectors

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA · 2020 · $212,021

## Abstract

SUMMARY:
We aim to learn how Chlamydia trachomatis secreted effectors direct cellular changes both individually and
cooperatively within fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster). Our preliminary data indicate that expression of
chlamydial Tarp in flies leads to both macroscopic (curled bristles) and microscopic (irregular microvilli)
developmental defects. The fruit fly model organism contains well defined polarized cells and developmental
programs which can be quantitatively evaluated. This level of precision in a polarized cell model allows for the
molecular dissection of individual C. trachomatis effectors and assessment of effector cooperation which has
not yet been investigated. Known targets of the early C. trachomatis effectors such as actin, Crk adapters, Src
tyrosine kinases, and PI3K are conserved in the fruit fly model suggesting cellular changes observed in flies
are likely to mimic the effects on human tissues. In the short term, we believe that the fruit fly model will
provide mechanistic insight into chlamydial effector directed host pathogen interactions and in the long term
may serve as a powerful platform to explore bacterial genes of unknown function. Elucidation of the molecular
mechanisms employed by C. trachomatis to initiate a successful infection may provide clues that can be
applied to novel therapeutic interventions for this prolific pathogen.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9869393
- **Project number:** 1R21AI148999-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA
- **Principal Investigator:** Travis James Jewett
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $212,021
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-03-01 → 2022-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9869393

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9869393, Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism to study Chlamydia trachomatis early effectors (1R21AI148999-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9869393. Licensed CC0.

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