Chlamydia pneumoniae binds at human cell (IMAGE)
Caption
A bacterium of the type Chlamydia pneumoniae uses adhesins (grey) to bind to surface proteins of a human cell from the outside. The Chlamydia 'protein needle' penetrates the plasma membrane (PM) and transports the chlamydial SemC protein (green) from the interior of the bacterium directly into the interior of the human cell. SemC then binds to the PM beneath the bacterial cell and bends the PM (red double line). The curvature of the PM allows the human endocytosis protein SNX9 (red) to bind to the curved PM and the SemC protein located there. The accumulation of SNX9 at the PM leads to the formation of actin filaments (grey fibres), which are essential for further internalisation of the Chlamydium.
Credit
HHU / Dr. Sebastian Haensch
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