Species of Chlamydia are the etiologic agent of endemic blinding trachoma, the leading cause of bacterial sexually transmitted diseases, significant respiratory pathogens, and a zoonotic threat. Their dependence on an intracellular growth niche and their peculiar developmental cycle are major challenges to elucidating their biology and virulence traits. The last decade has seen tremendous advances in our ability to perform a molecular genetic analysis of Chlamydia species. Major achievements include the generation of large collections of mutant strains, now available for forward- and reverse-genetic applications, and the introduction of a system for plasmid-based transformation enabling complementation of mutations; expression of foreign, modified, or reporter genes; and even targeted gene disruptions. This review summarizes the current status of the molecular genetic toolbox for Chlamydia species and highlights new insights into their biology and new challenges in the nascent field of Chlamydia genetics.

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衣原体物种的分子遗传分析

衣原体物种是地方性致盲沙眼的病原体，是细菌性传播疾病，重要的呼吸道病原体和人畜共患病威胁的主要原因。它们对细胞内生长位的依赖性及其独特的发育周期是阐明其生物学和毒力特性的主要挑战。在过去的十年中，我们对衣原体进行分子遗传分析的能力取得了巨大进步物种。主要成就包括产生大量的突变菌株，现在可用于正向和反向遗传应用，以及引入基于质粒的转化系统以实现突变的互补。外源，修饰或报告基因的表达；甚至有针对性的基因破坏。这篇综述总结了衣原体物种的分子遗传工具箱的现状，并着重介绍了它们的生物学新见解以及衣原体遗传学新生领域的新挑战。