Transcriptional Modulation of Infertility-Associated Genes Following Chlamydia trachomatis Infection in Human Fallopian Tube Mesenchymal Cells: In Silico Study

TL;DR

This study explores how Chlamydia trachomatis infection affects genes linked to female infertility in fallopian tube cells, using in silico analysis of gene expression data.

Contribution

The study identifies specific infertility-associated genes dysregulated by Chlamydia trachomatis infection and links them to biological processes related to female reproduction.

Findings

AKAP12 gene was consistently dysregulated at both 24 and 48 hours post-infection.

14 genes showed significant dysregulation at 48 hours post-infection, suggesting a time-dependent response.

Enriched biological processes included embryonic development and meiosis, relevant to female infertility.

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infection is one of the most prevalent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) worldwide and has been consistently associated with adverse reproductive outcomes, including female infertility. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this association remain incompletely understood. This study aimed to investigate whether genes previously associated with female infertility display altered expression patterns in response to CT infection by reanalyzing publicly available transcriptomic data derived from a human in vitro infection model. Methods: An integrative in silico approach was employed. A curated list of 106 genes associated with female infertility was compiled from publicly available databases and integrated with transcriptomic data from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset GSE109428, which profiles primary human fallopian tube mesenchymal cells infected in vitro with CT serovar L2. Gene expression changes were evaluated at two time points (24 and 48 h post-infection) by comparing infected cells with uninfected control samples, followed by functional and phenotype enrichment analyses. Results: One female infertility-associated gene (AKAP12) was consistently dysregulated at both 24 and 48 h post-infection. In addition, fourteen genes (ANAPC4, BMP1, BNC2, BTG4, EFHD1, FBXO43, INHBB, PATL2, SCARB1, SND1, SYNE1, TRIP13, TTC28, and TUBA1C) became significantly dysregulated exclusively at 48 h post-infection, indicating a time-dependent host transcriptional response to CT infection. Functional and phenotype enrichment analyses revealed associations with biological processes related to embryonic development and meiosis, as well as phenotypes linked to female infertility. These enriched terms were supported by a small subset of genes and were therefore interpreted cautiously. Conclusions: Overall, these findings suggest that CT infection modulates the expression of several infertility-associated genes and may influence biological pathways critical for female reproductive function. While exploratory, this study provides a molecular context that aligns with previously reported associations between CT infection and female infertility.

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