treatment of infected cells with pan-caspase inhibitor iv and z-wehd-fmk, an inhibitor of inflammatory caspases, elicited a near-complete blockage of c. trachomatis-induced cleavage of golgin-84. golgin-84 cleavage was blocked via treatment of infected cells with z-wehd-fmk, resulting in a lack of golgi fragmentation and a 2-log reduction in numbers of infectious bacteria.we treated infected cells with z-wehd-fmk, effectively preventing golgi fragmentation, or with dmso as a control and then labelled cells with fluorescent ceramide. confocal images revealed that ceramide was rapidly incorporated into the inclusion membrane within dmso-treated cells and accumulated inside the inclusion in bacterial membranes. in contrast, z-wehd-fmk-treated cells were only slightly fluorescent as the majority of lipid accumulated in a golgi-like structure outside the inclusion1.general caspase inhibitor (z-asp-chz-dcb) and capase-5 inhibitor (z-wehd-fmk) could not induce rrna fragmentation treated with ecyd. caspase-5 (icerei ill/ty), member of ice protease, activated pathway may be concerned with ecyd induced rrna fragmentation2.
1. d. heuer, a.r. lipinski et al. chlamydia causes fragmentation of the golgi compartment to ensure reproduction. nature, 457, 2009 2. kamada, s., funahashi, y. and tsujimoto, y.(1997) cell death diff. 4, 473-478.
