Listeriolysin O: a phagosome-specific lysin
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Updated: Jul 12, 2026

High-throughput Measurement of Plasma Membrane Resealing Efficiency in Mammalian Cells
Published on: January 7, 2019
Pamela Schnupf1, Daniel A Portnoy
1Graduate Group in Microbiology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3202, USA.
Abstract:
Listeriolysin O (LLO) is a pore-forming toxin of the cholesterol-dependent cytolysin family and a primary virulence factor of the gram-positive, facultative intracellular pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. During the intracellular life cycle of L. monocytogenes, LLO is largely responsible for mediating rupture of the phagosomal membrane, thereby allowing the bacterium access to the host cytosol, its replicative niche. In the host cytosol, LLO activity is controlled at numerous levels to prevent perforation of the plasma membrane and loss of the intracellular environment. In this review, we focus primarily on the role of LLO in phagosomal escape and the multiple regulatory mechanisms that control LLO activity in the host cytosol.
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