New publication in Nature Communications

Organoids reveal inflammatory processes in chlamydia infections

The paper describes the first in vitro model of chronic infection, using human primary polarised epithelium in the form of organoids. Organoids infected with Chlamydia trachomatis remained viable for months, enabling the analysis of long-term changes in host cells. These included increased production of LIF, increased stemness and DNA hypermethylation changes associated with cellular ageing, which was retained even after the infection was cleared. Such effects provide insight into some of the mechanisms that may underlie pathological changes associated with Chlamydia infections, such as ectopic pregnancy and an increased risk of gynecological cancers.

Kessler M, Hoffmann K, Fritsche K, Brinkmann V, Mollenkopf HJ, Thieck O, Teixeira da Costa AR, Braicu EI, Sehouli J, Mangler M, Berger H and Meyer TF. Chronic Chlamydia infection in human organoids increases stemness and promotes age-dependent CpG methylation. Nature Communications (2019)

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