An NSF Major Research Instrumentation award supported purchase of the LSCM used for imaging studies in this article (MRI-0722926) within the WFU Microscopic Imaging Core Facility. may function to nucleate the assembly of signaling protein complexes for cytoskeletal remodeling required for development. Conclusion Cumulatively, the data reported here connect the function of EGFR to attachment and development in the host cells, and this could lead to new venues for targeting infections and associated diseases. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12866-014-0277-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. Author summary is BUN60856 one of the leading causative brokers of sexually transmitted diseases. As an intracellular pathogen it has evolved strategies to redirect hosts signaling and resources for its own survival and propagation. The recruitment of tyrosine phosphorylated proteins at BUN60856 the site of entry in the host cell and the requirement of actin polymerization along the time course of contamination are well documented. However, a function of receptor tyrosine kinases beyond the stages of attachment and entry in the host cell has never been reported. The studies presented here show that expression and phosphorylation of host cell epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is required for developmentMost importantly, can regulate the phosphorylation and intracellular localization of EGFR. Co-localization of EGFR with the F-actin at the periphery of inclusion in the host cells is a particularly exciting and novel obtaining implicating EGFR in the regulation of actin polymerization around inclusions. These studies open the opportunity to investigate key structural and functional elements in EGFR that are necessary for development and which could lead to Tpo new therapies to advance the treatment of infections and associated diseases. Background (has a small genome, ~1.0 Mb, and like viruses (e.g., HPV) depend on the host cell for BUN60856 survival [7-11]. The chlamydial life cycle exhibits two forms that are relevant to chlamydial pathology. The elementary body (EB) is usually a spore-like infectious form, previously perceived as metabolically inert but recently shown to display maintenance level of metabolic activity [12,13]. Following internalization into the host cells, EBs initiate the inclusion formation and transform into metabolically active reticulate bodies (RBs), which then replicate within the inclusion. During the time course of RB replication, the early inclusions expand and fuse to form the early-mid inclusion, which then further expands into the mid-late inclusion. At this stage the RBs are converted back into EBs and are then released from the host cells through extrusion or cell lysis [14]. The process of development from attachment/entry to extrusion/exit, is regulated by an arsenal of and host cell proteins [15]. For example, several groups reported the recruitment of tyrosine-phosphorylated host cell proteins at the site of entry into the host cell [16,17] and the requirement of actin polymerization along the time course of contamination [18]. In accordance with this, previous studies have shown that contamination and can function as a receptor for bacterial binding to the host cell. A function for PDGFR activation beyond this stage was not reported [19]. In an elegant study performed by Kim recruits FGF2 signaling to enhance contamination and bacterial spread [20]. In this case, FGF2 acts as a bridging molecule between the EBs and the receptor that results in the activation of FGFR and bacterial uptake in the host cells. The question therefore arises whether some of the other receptor tyrosine kinases play a similar function in the bacterial uptake or have functions that extend beyond this initial stage of bacterial infection. Of particular interest.