Characterization of estrogen-responsive epithelial cell lines and their infectivity by genital Chlamydia trachomatis

• Published in: Microbes and infection 2005-12, Vol.7 (15), p.1469-1481
• Main Authors: Guseva, Natalia V., Dessus-Babus, Sophie C., Whittimore, Judy D., Moore, Cheryl G., Wyrick, Priscilla B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Blotting, Western; Cell Line; Cell lines; Cell Membrane - chemistry; Chlamydia; Chlamydia trachomatis; Chlamydia trachomatis - growth & development; Cytoplasm - microbiology; Cytoplasm - ultrastructure; Epithelial Cells - microbiology; Epithelial Cells - ultrastructure; Estrogen; Estrogen receptors; Estrogens - analysis; Estrogens - physiology; Flow Cytometry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene Expression; Hormone modulation; Humans; Inclusion Bodies - microbiology; Inclusion Bodies - ultrastructure; Microbiology; Microscopy, Confocal; Miscellaneous; Receptors, Estrogen - analysis; Receptors, Estrogen - genetics; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Messenger - analysis
• ISSN: 1286-4579; 1769-714X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.micinf.2005.05.004

Chlamydial attachment and infectivity in vitro and ascending disease and sequelae in vivo have been reported to be enhanced/modulated by estrogen. Endometrial carcinoma cell lines Ishikawa and HEC-1B and the breast cancer lines MCF-7 and HCC-1806 were examined for Chlamydia trachomatis E infectivity. Estrogen receptor (ER) presence was confirmed by Western blot and qRT-PCR analyses. FACS analysis was used to determine the percent of plasma membrane-localized ERs (mERs), and their activity was tested by estrogen binding and competitive estrogen antagonists assays. Chlamydiae grew in all cell lines with HEC (90%) >> MCF-7 (57%) > Ishikawa (51%) >> HCC-1806 (20%). The cell line ER isoform composition was re-defined as: ERα + ERβ + for MCF-7, HCC-1806 and Ishikawa; and ERβ only for HEC-1B. HeLa cells were also tested and found to express ERβ, but not ERα. A small percentage of both ERs were surface-exposed and functionally active. The endometrium-predominant ERβ isoform was found in all cell lines, including those most representative of the common sites of C. trachomatis infection. Thus, the role of chlamydial attachment/infectivity will now be analyzed in ERβ + and—isogenic HEC-1B cells.