Open AccessThe chlamydial developmental cycle
Author(s) -
AbdelRahman Yasser M.,
Belland Robert J.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
fems microbiology reviews
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.91
H-Index - 212
eISSN - 1574-6976
pISSN - 0168-6445
DOI - 10.1016/j.femsre.2005.03.002
Subject(s) - biology , obligate , dna microarray , genome , intracellular parasite , gene , genetics , computational biology , cell cycle , gene expression , microbiology and biotechnology , botany
Intracellular parasitism by bacterial pathogens is a complex, multi‐factorial process that has been exploited successfully by a wide variety of organisms. Members of the Order Chlamydiales are obligate intracellular bacteria that are transmitted as metabolically inactive particles and must differentiate, replicate, and re‐differentiate within the host cell to carry out their life cycle. Understanding the developmental cycle has been greatly advanced by the availability of complete genome sequences, DNA microarrays, and advanced cell biology techniques. Measuring transcriptional changes throughout the cycle has allowed investigators to determine the nature of the temporal gene expression changes required for bacterial growth and development.