Figure 1.
Morphological traits of Neochlamydia S13 inside host amoebae.
Representative TEM images showing symbiotic amoebae harboring Neochlamydia S13 (up and right (enlarged)) and aposymbiotic amoebae constructed by treatment with antibiotics (down). Enlarged image in the square with a dotted line shows the bacterial reticular body (no elementary body was observed in the amoebae). *, bacteria. M, mitochondria (arrows). N, nucleus.
Figure 2.
Amoebae harboring Neochlamydia S13 are completely protected from L. pneumophila infection.
(A) L. pneumophila survival in Neochlamydia S13-infected amoebae (S13WT) and aposymbiotic amoebae (S13RFP). (B) L. pneumophila growth in Protochlamydia R18-infected amoebae (R18WT) and aposymbiotic amoebae (R18DOX). (C) L. pneumophila survival in C3 reference strain amoebae (C3), and PYG medium only (Med). Data are the means ± SD from at least three independent experiments performed in triplicate. * denotes p<0.05 at each of the time points. (D) Representative Gimenez staining images showing L. pneumophila replication into amoebae at 5 days post-infection. Arrows, Neochlamydia S13 (S13WT) or Protochlamydia R18 (R18WT). Arrowheads, replicated L. pneumophila.
Figure 3.
Comparison of metabolic pathways among representative chlamydiae.
(A) Neochlamydia S13 (this study) versus Protochlamydia amoebophila UWE25 (NC005861.1). (B) Neochlamydia S13 versus C. trachomatis L2 434 Bu (NC010287.1). Green lines, unique in the Neochlamydia active modules. Blue lines, shared modules. Red lines; modules specific for Protochlamydia or C. trachomatis. Squares surrounded with dotted line show TCA cycle.
Figure 4.
Predicted three-dimensional structure of PomS (NEOS13_1146), which presumably localizes to the outer membrane as a porin.
The structure was constructed by alignment with the crystal structure of chain A of Neisseria surface protein A (NspA) (pdb:1PTA). N109 (yellow), amino acid aligned at start position. F180 (yellow), amino acid aligned at end position.