Capsid protein Vp1 from chlamydiaphage φCPG1 effectively alleviates cytotoxicity induced by Chlamydia trachomatis

Chlamydia trachomatis is the leading cause of sexually transmitted bacterial infections. C. trachomatis genital infection may lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy and tubal infertility, which are major public health problems. However, the pathogenic mechanisms of this bacterium remain unclear, and the efficacy of clinical therapeutics is unsatisfactory. In the current study, whether Vp1 can alleviate the cytotoxicity induced by Chlamydia trachomatis infection was investigated. C. trachomatis was pre-treated with BSA or purified Vp1 protein and used to infect HeLa cells. It was observed that Vp1 significantly inhibited the infectivity of C. trachomatis in cell cultures. In addition, the Vp1 pretreatment reduced the chlamydial Hsp60 protein levels and decreased the C. trachomatis inclusion number. The Vp1 pretreatment also prevented C. trachomatis-induced cytotoxicity in host cells. Furthermore, the chlamydial suppression of host cell proapoptotic p53 protein and the induction of antiapoptotic cIAP-2 and Mcl-1 gene expression were reversed by the Vp1 pretreatment. These observations suggest that Vp1 has a clear inhibitory effect on C. trachomatis growth in vitro.