The authors thank Ian Clarke and P. Scott Hefty for the pGFP-SW2 and pASK-GFP-mKate2-L2 plasmids, respectively. We thank Paul Miller for technical assistance and Richard Stephens for other resources. This work was funded by NIH grant AI095603 (KH).

1. Generation of Fluorescent Host Cell Lines
<ol>
	<li>Day 1. Plate 293T cells (or other retroviral packaging line) on 6-well plates at 2 x 106 cells/well, to be ~75% confluent the next day. If desired, plate duplicate wells for each retrovirus to be used.</li>
	<li>Day 2. Aspirate cells and add 2 ml fresh growth medium (DMEM + 10% FBS + 2 mM L-glutamine). Transfect cells with 5&#8211;8 &#181;g each of retroviral vector (containing GFP) and packaging vector (e.g., pVSVg) using Lipofectamine 2000 or ...

<ol>
	<li>Stamm, W. E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Chlamydia+trachomatis+infections:+progress+and+problems.">Chlamydia trachomatis infections: progress and problems.</a> The Journal of Infectious Diseases. 179, S380-S383 (1999).</li><li>Schachter, J., Stephens, R. S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Infection+and+disease+epidemiology.">Infection and disease epidemiology.</a> Chlamydia: Intracellular Biology, Pathogenesis, and Immunity. , 139-169 (1999).</li><li>Campbell, L. A., Kuo, C. C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Chlamydia+pneumoniae--an+infectious+risk+factor+for+atherosclerosis.">Chlamydia pneumoniae--an infectious risk factor for atherosclerosis.</a> Nature Reviews Microbiology. 2 (1), 23-32 (2004).</li><li>Darville, T., Hiltke, T. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Pathogenesis+of+genital+tract+disease+due+to+Chlamydia+trachomatis.">Pathogenesis of genital tract disease due to Chlamydia trachomatis.</a> The Journal of Infectious Diseases. 201, S114-S125 (2010).</li><li>Hackstadt, T., Stephens, R. S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Cell+biology.">Cell biology.</a> Chlamydia: Intracellular Biology, Pathogenesis, and Immunity. , 101-138 (1999).</li><li>Wang, Y., Kahane, S., Cutcliffe, L. T., Skilton, R. J., Lambden, P. R., Clarke, I. N. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Development+of+a+transformation+system+for+Chlamydia+trachomatis:+restoration+of+glycogen+biosynthesis+by+acquisition+of+a+plasmid+shuttle+vector).">Development of a transformation system for Chlamydia trachomatis: restoration of glycogen biosynthesis by acquisition of a plasmid shuttle vector).</a> PLoS Pathogens. 7 (9), e1002258 (2011).</li><li>Hackstadt, T., Scidmore, M. A., Rockey, D. D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Lipid+metabolism+in+Chlamydia+trachomatis-infected+cells:+directed+trafficking+of+Golgi-derived+sphingolipids+to+the+chlamydial+inclusion.">Lipid metabolism in Chlamydia trachomatis-infected cells: directed trafficking of Golgi-derived sphingolipids to the chlamydial inclusion.</a> Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 92 (11), 4877-4881 (1995).</li><li>Boleti, H., Ojcius, D. M., Dautry-Varsat, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Fluorescent+labelling+of+intracellular+bacteria+in+living+host+cells.">Fluorescent labelling of intracellular bacteria in living host cells.</a> Journal of Microbiological Methods. 40 (3), 265-274 (2000).</li><li>Hybiske, K., Stephens, R. S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Mechanisms+of+host+cell+exit+by+the+intracellular+bacterium+Chlamydia.">Mechanisms of host cell exit by the intracellular bacterium Chlamydia.</a> Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 104 (27), 11430-11435 (2007).</li><li>Heinzen, R. A., Hackstadt, T. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+Chlamydia+trachomatis+parasitophorous+vacuolar+membrane+is+not+passively+permeable+to+low-molecular-weight+compounds.">The Chlamydia trachomatis parasitophorous vacuolar membrane is not passively permeable to low-molecular-weight compounds.</a> Infection and Immunity. 65 (3), 1088-1094 (1997).</li><li>Wickstrum, J., Sammons, L. R., Restivo, K. N., Hefty, P. S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Conditional+gene+expression+in+Chlamydia+trachomatis+using+the+tet+system.">Conditional gene expression in Chlamydia trachomatis using the tet system.</a> PLoS One. 8 (10), 10-1371 (2013).</li><li>Chin, E., Kirker, K., Zuck, M., James, G., Hybiske, K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Actin+recruitment+to+the+Chlamydia+inclusion+is+spatiotemporally+regulated+by+a+mechanism+that+requires+host+and+bacterial+factors.">Actin recruitment to the Chlamydia inclusion is spatiotemporally regulated by a mechanism that requires host and bacterial factors.</a> PLoS One. 7 (10), e46949 (2012).</li><li>Agaisse, H., Derr&#233;, I. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+C.+trachomatis+cloning+vector+and+the+generation+of+C.+trachomatis+strains+expressing+fluorescent+proteins+under+the+control+of+a+C.+trachomatis+promoter.">A C. trachomatis cloning vector and the generation of C. trachomatis strains expressing fluorescent proteins under the control of a C. trachomatis promoter.</a> PLoS One. 8 (2), e57090 (2013).</li></ol>

The authors declare that they have no competing financial interests.

Here we describe the experimental strategy for generating fluorescent host cells for real time visualization and analysis of Chlamydia inclusions. This vacuole visualization approach confers the powerful ability to illuminate, track and quantitatively measure the dynamic properties of chlamydial inclusions across populations of cells or in single cells over time. Chlamydia inclusions in fluorescent protein labeled cells are strikingly well defined, such that they are easily identified without the need f...

Infectious diseases caused by species of the intracellular bacterium Chlamydia elicit a major burden on global health, including sexually transmitted disease, pelvic inflammatory disease, blindness, pneumonia and possibly atherosclerosis1-4. The ability of Chlamydia to interact with the host cell, from within a vacuole (termed the inclusion), is a critical determinant for their successful infection of cells and the host. The inclusion is a novel pathogenic compartment that enables chlamydial growth and is dynamically modified throughout the entire 2&#8211;3 day developmental cycle of Chlamydia5. The obligate intracellular nature of chlamydiae presents numerous challenges to the research community, in particular for directly studying the unique biology of the inclusion. A major handicap has been the inability to efficiently visualize either intracellular Chlamydia or their inclusion by fluorescent approaches in living cells. A recent discovery has finally revealed the means to generate GFP expressing C. trachomatis6; however, this finding has not yet led to specific labeling of the inclusion. Some techniques have been described for labeling of bacteria and inclusions7,8, but they suffer from shortcomings such as non-specificity, transiency and susceptibility to photobleaching. A key discovery by our group established a new strategy for illuminating the inclusion using GFP expressing host cells9. This strategy rationally exploits the intrinsic impermeability of the inclusion membrane to molecules greater than 520 Da10. When cells are engineered to stably express a particular cytosolic fluorescent protein (e.g., GFP or mCherry), Chlamydia inclusions are visible with remarkable clarity by their complete exclusion of fluorescence. This reverse imaging strategy enables immediate visualization of inclusions for all Chlamydia species and it can be easily adapted for most host cells of interest. As a demonstration of its utility, this method was used previously to reveal and define the cellular exit pathways for Chlamydia spp9.
Here, we further demonstrate how this method is performed, and can be exploited to derive key quantitative data about inclusion growth dynamics. Furthermore, it can effectively substitute for costly antibody-based enumeration methods and can be used in tandem with other fluorescent labels, such as mKate2-expressing Chlamydia11. This powerful combination of tools enables exploration of the physical properties of the chlamydial inclusion membrane inside living host cells.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>Lipofectamine 2000</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>11668</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Opti-Mem</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>31985</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Polybrene</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>H9268</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>0.45 &#181;m filters</td>
			<td>Fisher</td>
			<td>09-719D</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>G418</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>10131</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>HBSS</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>14025</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DMEM</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>11995</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>RPMI 1640</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>11875</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>RPMI 1640 w/o phenol red</td>
			<td>Cellgro</td>
			<td>17-105-CV</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Penicillin G</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>13752</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Cycloheximide</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>C7698</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Glass bottom dishes</td>
			<td>MatTek</td>
			<td>P35G-1.5-14-C</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Chamber slides, Lab-Tek II</td>
			<td>Nunc</td>
			<td>154526, 154534</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

using fluorescent proteins to visualize and quantitate chlamydia vacuole growth dynamics in living cells

The obligate intracellular bacterium Chlamydia elicits a great burden on global public health. C.&#160;trachomatis is the leading bacterial cause of sexually transmitted infection and also the primary cause of preventable blindness in the world. An essential determinant for successful infection of host cells by Chlamydia is the bacterium's ability to manipulate host cell signaling from within a novel, vacuolar compartment called the inclusion. From within the inclusion, Chlamydia acquire nutrients required for their 2-3 day developmental growth, and they additionally secrete a panel of effector proteins onto the cytosolic face of the vacuole membrane and into the host cytosol. Gaps in our understanding of Chlamydia biology, however, present significant challenges for visualizing and analyzing this intracellular compartment. Recently, a reverse-imaging strategy for visualizing the inclusion using GFP expressing host cells was described. This approach rationally exploits the intrinsic impermeability of the inclusion membrane to large molecules such as GFP. In this work, we describe how GFP- or mCherry-expressing host cells are generated for subsequent visualization of chlamydial inclusions. Furthermore, this method is shown to effectively substitute for costly antibody-based enumeration methods, can be used in tandem with other fluorescent labels, such as GFP-expressing Chlamydia, and can be exploited to derive key quantitative data about inclusion membrane growth from a range of Chlamydia species and strains.

Mammalian cells expressing cytosolic fluorescent proteins (e.g., GFP) can be engineered to enable illumination of Chlamydia inclusions in live, infected cell cultures. Upon infection with Chlamydia, inclusions are readily visible as black spots in the host cells (Figure 1). The clarity of fluorescence-lacking inclusions can be exploited for the automated identification of inclusions across numerous fields of view and/or treatments (Figure 1). Once fluorescent h...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Using Fluorescent Proteins to Visualize and Quantitate Chlamydia Vacuole Growth Dynamics in Living Cells at JoVE.com

Using Fluorescent Proteins to Visualize and Quantitate Chlamydia Vacuole Growth Dynamics in Living Cells

A live cell fluorescent protein based method for illuminating cellular vacuoles (inclusions) containing Chlamydia is described. This strategy enables rapid, automated determination of Chlamydia infectivity in samples and can be used to quantitatively investigate inclusion growth dynamics.

Using Fluorescent Proteins to Visualize and Quantitate Chlamydia Vacuole Growth Dynamics in Living Cells

The obligate intracellular bacterium Chlamydia elicits a great burden on global public health. C.&#160;trachomatis is the leading bacterial cause of ...

using-fluorescent-proteins-to-visualize-quantitate-chlamydia-vacuole

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Immunology and Infection

7.4K Views.  University of Washington. A live cell fluorescent protein based method for illuminating cellular vacuoles (inclusions) containing Chlamydia is described. This strategy enables rapid, automated determination of Chlamydia infectivity in samples and can be used to quantitatively investigate inclusion growth dynamics.