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The Coxiella burnetii parasitophorous vacuole

Eric Ghigo1, María I Colombo, Robert A Heinzen

  • 1URMITE CNRS UMR 6236 - IRD 3R198, Institut Fédératif de Recherche 48, Université de la Méditerranée, Marseille, France.

Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology
|June 20, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Coxiella burnetii manipulates host cell vacuoles for replication, resisting degradation while exploiting acidic conditions. Its parasitophorous vacuole (PV) undergoes complex modifications involving autophagic and secretory pathways.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Cell Biology
  • Pathogenesis

Background:

  • Coxiella burnetii is an intracellular bacterium that replicates within a specialized vacuole.
  • The parasitophorous vacuole (PV) is crucial for C. burnetii survival and virulence.
  • Understanding PV development is key to understanding host-pathogen interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review current knowledge on the nature and development of the C. burnetii PV.
  • To discuss the modifications of the PV by C. burnetii.
  • To explore the maturation state of PVs harboring different C. burnetii strains.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on C. burnetii and host cell interactions.
  • Analysis of data concerning PV trafficking and biogenesis.
  • Comparison of PVs in human mononuclear phagocytes infected with virulent and avirulent C. burnetii.

Main Results:

  • The C. burnetii PV is not a simple phagolysosome but a specialized compartment actively modified by the pathogen.
  • PV development involves complex interactions with host cell pathways, including endolysosomal, autophagic, and early secretory pathways.
  • Virulent and avirulent C. burnetii lipopolysaccharide phase variants may induce distinct PV maturation states.

Conclusions:

  • The C. burnetii PV is a dynamic and pathogen-modified compartment essential for intracellular replication.
  • Multiple host cell pathways contribute to PV biogenesis, highlighting sophisticated host-pathogen interplay.
  • Further research is needed to fully elucidate the distinct maturation pathways of PVs associated with different C. burnetii virulence states.

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