Engel Lab

Research focus

NIH R01 · 2024

Dissecting the role of the Inclusion membrane protein IncE, a master multi-tasking scaffolding protein, in the pathogenesis of Chlamydia trachomatis infections

Abstract Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) infections are important causes of human disease for which no vaccine exists. An important gap in our knowledge is how this obligate intracellular vacuolar bacterium establishes a privileged niche--a membrane bound compartment termed the inclusion. Chlamydia encode a distinctive family of secreted effectors, the Incs (Inclusion membrane proteins), which are translocated from the bacteria through the type III secretion system and inserted into the inclusion membrane. We have discovered that an early expressed Inc, IncE, binds to two different host cell protein complexes that are involved in trafficking, sorting nexins (SNX)5 and 6 as well as two closely…

From the public funding record at NIH RePORTER. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.