Jaime Mota

Interesses Científicos

Our laboratory (sites.fct.unl.pt/infection-biology) aims to understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which bacterial pathogens modify the normal functioning of animal host cells. This fundamental knowledge might then be used to develop specific strategies to combat infectious diseases. Because microbial pathogens are the ultimate cell biologists - as they co-evolved with their eukaryotic hosts for millions of years -, we also seek to understand basic eukaryotic cell biology. We focus on the human pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis, which are obligate intracellular bacteria that cause sexually transmitted diseases and ocular infections (trachoma), and on Legionella pneumophila and Salmonella enterica, which are both facultative intracellular bacteria that cause pneumonia (Legionnaire's Disease) and gastrointestinal and systemic diseases (typhoid fever) in humans, respectively.

Publicações Representativas

• Pereira, I. S., da Cunha, M, Leal, I. P., Luís, M. P., Gonçalves, P., Gonçalves, C., Mota, L. J. (2024). Identification of homologs of the Chlamydia trachomatis effector CteG reveals a family of Chlamydiaceae type III secreted proteins that can be delivered into host cells. Med Microbiol Immunol. 213:15. doi: 10.1007/s00430-024-00798-9.
• Luís, M. P., Pereira, I. S., Bugalhão, J. N., Simões, C. N., Mota, C., Romão, M. J., Mota, L. J. (2023). The Chlamydia trachomatis IncM Protein Interferes with Host Cell Cytokinesis, Centrosome Positioning, and Golgi Distribution and Contributes to the Stability of the Pathogen-Containing Vacuole. Infection and Immunity. e0040522. doi: 10.1128/iai.00405-22. 
• Pereira, I. S., Pais, S. V., Borges, V., Borrego, M. J., Gomes, J. P., Mota, L. J. (2022). The type III secretion effector CteG mediates host cell lysis of Chlamydia trachomatis. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 12:902210. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.902210.
• Monteiro, I. P., Sousa, S., Borges, V., Gonçalves, P., Gomes, J. P., Mota, L. J., Franco, I. (2022). A search for novel Legionella pneumophila effector proteins reveals a strain specific nucleotropic effector. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 12:864626. doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2022.864626.
• Bugalhão, J. N., Luís, M. P., Pereira, I. S., da Cunha, M., Mota, L. J. (2022). The Chlamydia trachomatis inclusion membrane protein CT006 associates with lipid droplets in eukaryotic cells. PLoS One. 17:e0264292. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264292.
• Bugalhão, J. N., Mota, L. J. (2019). The multiple functions of the numerous Chlamydia trachomatis secreted proteins: the tip of the iceberg. Microb Cell. 6(9):414-449. doi: 10.15698/mic2019.09.691. 
• Pais, S. V., Key, C. E., Borges, V., Pereira, I. S., Gomes, J. P., Fisher, D. J., Mota, L. J. (2019) CteG is a Chlamydia trachomatis effector protein that associates with the Golgi complex of infected host cells. Sci Rep. 9(1):6133. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-42647-3. 
• Almeida, F., Luís, M. P., Pereira, I. S., Pais, S. V., Mota, L. J. (2018) The Human Centrosomal Protein CCDC146 Binds Chlamydia trachomatis Inclusion Membrane Protein CT288 and Is Recruited to the Periphery of the Chlamydia-Containing Vacuole. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 8:254. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2018.00254.
• da Cunha, M., Pais, S. V., Bugalhão, J. N., Mota, L. J. (2017) The Chlamydia trachomatis type III secretion substrates CT142, CT143, and CT144 are secreted into the lumen of the inclusion. PLoS ONE. 12:e0178856. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0178856.
• Domingues, L., Ismail, A., Charro, N., Rodríguez-Escudero, I., Holden, D. W., Molina, M., Cid, V. J., Mota, L. J. (2015). The Salmonella effector SteA binds phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate for subcellular targeting within host cells. Cell. Microbiol. 18:949-69. doi: 10.1111/cmi.12558.
• Bugalhão, J. N., Mota, L. J., Franco, I.S. (2015). Identification of regions within the Legionella pneumophila VipA effector protein involved in actin binding and polymerization and in interference with eukaryotic organelle trafficking. Microbiologyopen. doi: 10.1002/mbo3.316.
• Charro, N., Mota, L. J. (2015). Approaches targeting the type III secretion system to prevent or treat bacterial infections. Expert Opin Drug Discov. 10:373-87. doi: 10.1517/17460441.2015.1019860. 
• Domingues, L., Holden, D. W., Mota, L. J. The Salmonella effector SteA contributes to the control of membrane dynamics of Salmonella-containing vacuoles (2014).  Infect Immun. 82:2923-34. doi:10.1128/IAI.01385-13. 
• da Cunha, M, Milho, C., Almeida, F., Pais, S. V., Borges, V., Maurício, R., Borrego, M. J., Gomes, J. P., Mota, L. J. (2014). Identification of type III secretion substrates of Chlamydia trachomatis using Yersinia enterocolitica as a heterologous system. BMC Microbiol. 14(1):40. doi:10.1186/1471-2180-14-40 
• Pais, S. V., Milho, C., Almeida, F., Mota, L. J. (2013). Identification of novel type III secretion chaperone-substrate complexes of Chlamydia trachomatis. PLoS ONE. 8: e56292. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0056292.
• Almeida, F., Borges, V, Ferreira, R., Borrego, M. J., Gomes, J. P, Mota, L. J. (2012). Polymorphisms in Inc proteins and differential expression of inc genes among Chlamydia trachomatis strains correlate with invasiveness and tropism of lymphogranuloma venereum isolates. J Bacteriol. 194: 6574-6785. doi: 10.1128/JB.01428-12.