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Role of matrix metalloproteinase‐7 in the modulation of a Chlamydia trachomatis infection
Author(s) -
Pal Sukumar,
Schmidt Amy P.,
Peterson Ellena M.,
Wilson Carole L.,
La Maza Luis M.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.297
H-Index - 133
eISSN - 1365-2567
pISSN - 0019-2805
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2567.2005.02281.x
Subject(s) - chlamydia trachomatis , biology , chlamydia , chlamydiaceae , gastrointestinal tract , small intestine , matrix metalloproteinase , immunology , chlamydiales , virology , andrology , endocrinology , medicine , biochemistry
Summary To determine the role of matrix metalloproteinase‐7 (MMP‐7) in the pathogenesis of chlamydial infection, C57BL/6 wild‐type (WT) and MMP‐7 knockout (KO) mice were infected intravaginally with Chlamydia trachomatis mouse pneumonitis (MoPn). Over a period of 6 weeks postinfection, various organs were cultured for C. trachomatis . Other infected animals were mated to assess their fertility status. No significant differences were observed between WT and KO mice in the number of animals with positive vaginal cultures, length of time of C. trachomatis shedding, or the number of C. trachomatis inclusion‐forming units (IFU) recovered from their genital tracts. Likewise, the number of animals with hydrosalpinx, and the fertility rates and the number of embryos per mouse, were similar in WT and KO mice. Cultures from the spleen, lungs, kidneys and large intestine yielded similar numbers of IFU from WT and KO mice. However, the number of C. trachomatis IFU recovered from the small intestine of KO mice was significantly higher than that recovered from the small intestine of WT mice at 2 weeks postinfection. Because MMP‐7 KO mice are deficient in active intestinal α‐defensins, the results suggest that these components play a role in regulating colonization of the gastrointestinal tract by Chlamydia . By contrast, MMP‐7 is dispensable in the progression and resolution of the genital tract infection.