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Actin-based motility of intracellular microbial pathogens
1Infectious Disease Division, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA. mgoldberg1@partners.org
Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews : MMBR
|December 1, 2001
Summary
Intracellular pathogens like Listeria and Shigella hijack host cell actin to move. These microbes evolved distinct mechanisms to exploit common cellular pathways for actin-based motility.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Intracellular microorganisms exhibit actin-based motility for host cell invasion and spread.
- Pathogenic bacteria (Listeria, Shigella) and viruses (vaccinia) utilize host cell cytoplasm for replication and movement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the molecular mechanisms of microbial actin-based motility.
- To explore how diverse microbes convergently evolved to exploit host cell actin dynamics.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on microbial actin-based motility.
- Analysis of molecular pathways used by Listeria monocytogenes, Shigella spp., Rickettsia spp., and vaccinia virus.
- Comparison of microbial strategies for hijacking host cell actin assembly.
Main Results:
- Diverse microbes utilize host cell actin assembly machinery for propulsion within host cells.
- Each microbe employs unique molecular strategies to engage overlapping actin pathways.
- Convergent evolution is suggested by distinct microbial molecules utilizing common host pathways.
Conclusions:
- Microbial actin-based motility represents a remarkable example of convergent evolution.
- Understanding these mechanisms provides insights into host-pathogen interactions.
- Further research can elucidate the precise molecular interactions and evolutionary strategies.