The purpose of this experiment was to determine if Chlamydia psittaci is inhibiting caspase activation in HeLa cells through the sequestering of ceramide. This was done by treating cells infected with C. psittaci, as well as uninfected cells, with increasing concentrations of C6-ceramide. A fluorometric multiplex activity assay was used to measure caspase activation.
It was found that increasing ceramide concentrations did lead to increased caspase activation in uninfected cells at a greater rate than infected cells. However, the assay also showed that C. psittaci infected cells were protected from cell death more than uninfected cells even when no treatment was applied.
Author(s): Maddie Canter, Microbiology Major
Advisor(s): Joseph Carlin, Department of Microbiology
You must be logged in to post a comment.