NIH R01 · 2024
The roles of ceramide and its derivatives in A. phagocytophilum pathogenesis
Anaplasma phagocytophilum (Ap) is an obligate intracellular bacterium that causes the emerging and potentially fatal infection, human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA). The microbial-host interactions that facilitate Ap intracellular proliferation and dissemination have remained poorly characterized. We uncovered a novel role for the host bioactive sphingolipid, ceramide-1-phosphate (C1P), as a regulator of Golgi fragmentation. Specifically, C1P activates a PKC/Cdc42/JNK signaling axis that phosphorylates GRASP55 (Golgi reassembly stacking protein 55 kDa) to destabilize the trans-Golgi network (TGN) and amplify TGN anterograde traffic. We determined that Ap infection upregulates C1P…
From the public funding record at NIH RePORTER. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.