# VIRULENCE FACTORS OF CHLAMYDIA?

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · 1989 · $161,385

## Abstract

Over four million men and women suffer from chlamydial genital
infection annually.  Women bear a special burden because of their
increased risk of adverse reproductive consequences.  C.
trachomatis is responsible for 25-50% of the estimated one
million cases of pelvic inflammatory disease/year.  The
mechanism of the disease process is not understood.  Our goal is
to elucidate the basic biology of chlamydial growth in human
epithelial cells in order to learn how persistent infection is
accomplished since the majority of cases of tubal disease
associated with chlamydial salpingitis appear to result from
chronic, subclinical infection.

We shall grow primary human endometrial epithelial cells in a
polarized orientation to determine if infectious chlamydiae:  (i)
enter and release progeny at the apical surface but transport
antigens to the basolateral surface for interaction with the
immune system -monitored by transmission and immunoelectron
microscopy (TEM and IEM) and (ii) exploit the receptor-mediated
endocytic pathway for entry by localizing clathrin in chlamydia-
containing coated pits and transferrin in chlamydia-containing
endosomes.  Clathrin will be detected by IEM using post-
embedding staining on Lowicryl sections with second affinity
gold-labeled antibody amplification.  TEM and subcellular
fractionation followed by the density-shift technique will be used
to determine if chlamydiae localize initially in the transferrin -
containing endosomes.  Horseradish peroxidase covalently bound
to transferrin is used to place peroxidase in the endosome.
Peroxidase catalized polymerization of diaminobenzidine within
the vesicles causes either a black precipitate on stained thin
sections or an increase in bouyant density, allowing endosomes to
be separated by density gradient centrifugation.

Lastly, we shall also determine if simultaneous Neisseria
gonorrhoeae infection modulates C.  trachomatis infection of
human endometrial cells.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3125444
- **Project number:** 5R01AI013446-11
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL
- **SAM.gov UEI:** D3LHU66KBLD5
- **Principal Investigator:** Priscilla B. Wyrick
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1989
- **Award amount:** $161,385
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1979-01-01 → 1991-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3125444

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3125444, VIRULENCE FACTORS OF CHLAMYDIA? (5R01AI013446-11). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3125444. Licensed CC0.

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