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Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Imaging InlC Secretion to Investigate Cellular Infection by the Bacterial Pathogen Listeria monocytogenes
Published on: September 19, 2013
A PEST-like sequence in listeriolysin O essential for Listeria monocytogenes pathogenicity
1Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
Abstract:
Establishment and maintenance of an intracellular niche are critical to the success of an intracellular pathogen. Here, the pore-forming protein listeriolysin O (LLO), secreted by Listeria monocytogenes, was shown to contain a PEST-like sequence (P, Pro; E, Glu; S, Ser; T, Thr) that is essential for the virulence and intracellular compartmentalization of this pathogen. Mutants lacking the PEST-like sequence entered the host cytosol but subsequently permeabilized and killed the host cell. LLO lacking the PEST-like sequence accumulated in the host-cell cytosol, suggesting that this sequence targets LLO for degradation. Transfer of the sequence to perfringolysin O transformed this toxic cytolysin into a nontoxic derivative that facilitated intracellular growth.
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