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Dr. Stephan Schmitz-Esser
Department für Mikrobielle Ökologie
Wiener Ökologiezentrum
Universität Wien
Althanstr. 14
A-1090 Wien
Austria
phone: +43 1 4277 54394
fax: +43 1 4277 54389
email: 
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ATP/ADP translocases of bacterial endosymbionts of free-living amoebae
Only few, obligate intracellular bacteria (like Rickettsia prowazekii and Chlamydia trachomatis) can utilize ATP generated by their eukaryotic host cells, since specific carrier proteins are needed as biological membranes are impermeable for ATP. Today, mitochondrial, plastidic, and bacterial ATP/ADP translocases have been recognized: The mitochondrial ATP/ADP carrier exports the newly synthesized ATP into the cytosol, while the ATP/ADP translocases of plastids, rickettsiae and chlamydiae catalyze the import of cytosolic ATP into the plastid or the bacterial cell, respectively (Neuhaus et al., 1999).
In order to understand the molecular basis of the close association between  obligate intracellular bacterial symbionts and free-living amoebae we screened for the presence of genes coding for ATP/ADP translocase antiporter. A PCR assay using a set of degenerated primers demonstrated that Caedibacter-, rickettsia-, as well as Neochlamydia- and Parachlamydia-related symbionts of free-living amoebae possess genes coding for putative ATP/ADP translocases. Hydropathy analysis suggested that the identified genes code for proteins containing 12 transmembrane domains, which is consistent with the secondary structures predicted for known rickettsial and chlamydial ATP/ADP carrier (Tjaden et al., 1999). Current investigations include the expression of a selected putative ATP/ADP translocase of Parachlamydia-related symbionts in E. coli in order to study its biochemical properties (in cooperation with N. Linka and H. E. Neuhaus, University of Kaiserslautern, Germany).
These findings suggested that ATP/ADP translocase antiporter are common among Caedibacter-, rickettsia- and chlamydia-related endosymbionts of free-living amoebae. Since mitochondrial and non-mitochondrial ATP/ADP carrier share no meaningful sequence homology, bacterial and plastidic ATP/ADP-transporters could be well suited as target for the development of new antibiotics or herbizides.
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Topic
Nucleotide transport proteins in environmental chlamydiae
Whole genome analysis of 'Candidatus Amoebophilus asiaticus'
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Publications in peer reviewed journals- Schmitz-Esser S, Haferkamp I, Knab S, Penz T, Ast M, Kohl C, Wagner M, Horn M. 2008. Lawsonia intracellularis encodes a functional rickettsia-like ATP/ADP translocase for host exploitation. J. Bacteriol. , in press.
- Maixner F, Wagner M, Lücker S, Pelletier E, Schmitz-Esser S, Hace K, Spieck E, Konrat R, Le Paslier D, Daims H.. 2008. Environmental genomics reveals a functional chlorite dismutase in the nitrite-oxidizing bacterium "Candidatus Nitrospira defluvii". Environ. Microbiol. , in press.
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Supplementary material
- Haferkamp I, Schmitz-Esser S, Wagner M, Neigel N, Horn M, Neuhaus HE. 2006. Tapping the nucleotide pool of the host: novel nucleotide carrier proteins of Protochlamydia amoebophila. Mol. Microbiol. 60: 1534-1545.
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Supplemental Material
- Rinke C, Schmitz-Esser S, Stoecker K, Nussbaumer AD , Molnár DA, Vanura K, Wagner M, Horn M, Ott J, Bright M. 2006. Candidatus Thiobios zoothamnicoli, an ectosymbiotic bacterium covering the giant marine ciliate Zoothamnium niveum. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72: 2014-2021.
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- Collingro A, Poppert S, Heinz E, Schmitz-Esser S, Essig A, Schweikert M, Wagner M, Horn M. 2005. Recovery of an environmental chlamydia strain from activated sludge by co-cultivation with Acanthamoeba sp. Microbiology 151: 301-309.
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- Haferkamp I, Schmitz-Esser S, Linka N, Urbany C, Collingro A, Wagner M, Horn M, Neuhaus HE. 2004. A candidate NAD+ transporter in an intracellular bacterial symbiont related to chlamydiae. Nature 432: 622-625.
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Supplementary material [PDF]
- Horn M, Collingro A, Schmitz-Esser S, Beier CL, Purkhold U, Fartmann B, Brandt P, Nyakatura GJ, Droege M, Frishman D, Rattei T, Mewes HW, Wagner M. 2004. Illuminating the evolutionary history of chlamydiae. Science 304: 728-730.
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Supplementary material [PDF]
Press release [PDF]
Press release (German) [PDF]
Movie showing environmental chlamydia UWE25 within its amoeba host cells.
© AAAS/Science. [Windows Media Player]
Movie showing environmental chlamydia UWE25 within its amoeba host cells.
© AAAS/Science.[Quicktime]
Environmental chlamydia genome database
- Schmitz-Esser S, Linka N, Collingro A, Beier CL, Neuhaus HE, Wagner M, Horn M. 2004. ATP/ADP translocases: A common feature of obligate intracellular amoebal symbionts related to chlamydiae and rickettsiae. J. Bacteriol. 186: 683-691.
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ARB/FastA database
- Schmid MC, Schmitz-Esser S, Jetten M, Wagner M. 2001. 16S-23S rDNA intergenic spacer and 23S rDNA of anaerobic ammonium oxidizers: implications for phylogeny and in situ detection. Environ. Microbiol. 3: 450-459.
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Book chapters and other publications- Horn M, Collingro A, Schmitz-Esser S, Wagner M. 2006. Environmental chlamydia genomics. In Chlamydia: genomics and pathogenesis, pp. 25-44. (Bavoil PM, Wyrick PB, ed.). Horizon Scientific Press, Norfolk.
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