Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Quantification of Cytosolic vs. Vacuolar Salmonella in Primary Macrophages by Differential Permeabilization
09:25

Quantification of Cytosolic vs. Vacuolar Salmonella in Primary Macrophages by Differential Permeabilization

Published on: July 28, 2015

Leading a sheltered life: intracellular pathogens and maintenance of vacuolar compartments

Yadunanda Kumar1, Raphael H Valdivia

  • 1Center for Microbial Pathogenesis, Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA.

Cell Host & Microbe
|June 17, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Intracellular pathogens maintain protective vacuoles, but how these parasitic vacuoles remain stable against host defenses is unclear. This study explores mechanisms of vacuole maintenance and disruption in bacterial and protozoan parasites.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Cell Biology
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Intracellular pathogens reside within host-derived vacuoles, evading some immune responses.
  • These vacuole-bound pathogens still face intracellular innate immune surveillance, risking lysosome fusion, autophagy, and cell death.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify mechanisms enabling vacuole-bound pathogens to maintain the integrity of their parasitic vacuoles.
  • To understand the consequences of vacuole disruption for pathogen survival and host interaction.

Main Methods:

  • Review and synthesis of existing literature on vacuole-bound bacterial and protozoan parasites.
  • Analysis of pathogen-derived proteins and lipids involved in vacuole modification.
  • Examination of host-pathogen interactions at the vacuolar interface.

Main Results:

  • Pathogen proteins and lipids extensively modify host membranes to create stable vacuolar niches.
  • Mechanisms for maintaining vacuole integrity are crucial for evading immune surveillance pathways.
  • Vacuole disruption can lead to pathogen clearance or host cell damage.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding parasitic vacuole maintenance is key to deciphering intracellular pathogen survival strategies.
  • Targeting vacuole stability could offer novel therapeutic approaches against persistent infections.

More Related Videos

Purification of Pathogen Vacuoles from Legionella-infected Phagocytes09:25

Purification of Pathogen Vacuoles from Legionella-infected Phagocytes

Published on: June 19, 2012

Tractable Mammalian Cell Infections with Protozoan-primed Bacteria13:54

Tractable Mammalian Cell Infections with Protozoan-primed Bacteria

Published on: April 2, 2013

Related Concept Videos

Eukaryotic Compartmentalization01:37

Eukaryotic Compartmentalization

One of the distinguishing features of eukaryotic cells is that they contain membrane-bound organelles, such as the nucleus and mitochondria, that carry out specialized functions. Since biological membranes are only selectively permeable to solutes, they help create a compartment with controlled conditions inside an organelle. These microenvironments are tailored to the organelle's specific functions and help isolate them from the surrounding cytosol.
For example, lysosomes in the animal cells...
Eukaryotic Compartmentalizations01:46

Eukaryotic Compartmentalizations

One of the distinguishing features of eukaryotic cells is that they contain membrane-bound organelles, such as the nucleus and mitochondria, that carry out specialized functions. Since biological membranes are only selectively permeable to solutes, they help create a compartment with controlled conditions inside an organelle. These microenvironments are tailored to the organelle's specific functions and help isolate them from the surrounding cytosol.
For example, lysosomes in the animal cells...
Eukaryotic Compartmentalization01:46

Eukaryotic Compartmentalization

One of the distinguishing features of eukaryotic cells is that they contain membrane-bound organelles, such as the nucleus and mitochondria, that carry out specialized functions. Since biological membranes are only selectively permeable to solutes, they help create a compartment with controlled conditions inside an organelle. These microenvironments are tailored to the organelle's specific functions and help isolate them from the surrounding cytosol.
For example, lysosomes in the animal cells...
Colonisation of Pathogens01:25

Colonisation of Pathogens

Pathogen colonization of host tissues is a critical step in the development of infectious diseases. Various pathogenic microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, viruses, and protozoa, have evolved complex strategies to attach to, invade, and persist within host environments. These mechanisms enable pathogens to establish infections, evade immune responses, and resist antimicrobial treatments.Attachment to Host CellsIn bacteria, colonization typically begins with adherence to host epithelial...
Intracellular Movement of Viruses and Bacteria01:10

Intracellular Movement of Viruses and Bacteria

Intracellular bacteria and viruses often comprise a group of highly infectious pathogens that can cause several diseases. Bacterial pathogens include those belonging to the genus Rickettsia responsible for conditions such as rocky mountain spotted fever and the Mediterranean spotted fever; Chlamydia, a genus responsible for a sexually transmitted disease; Coxiella burnetii, an agent responsible for Q fever. Viral pathogens include vaccinia—a poxvirus, and herpes simplex virus—a virus that...
Prokaryotic Cells01:51

Prokaryotic Cells

Prokaryotes are small unicellular organisms that include the domains—Archaea and Bacteria. Bacteria include many common organisms, such as Salmonella and E. coli, while the Archaea include extremophiles that live in harsh environments, such as volcanic springs.Like eukaryotic cells, all prokaryotic cells are surrounded by a plasma membrane, have genetic material in the form of single, circular DNA, a cytoplasm that fills the interior of the cell, and ribosomes that synthesize proteins. However,...