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Updated: May 2, 2026

Author Spotlight: Advancements in Understanding and Combatting Shigella Infections
Published on: February 9, 2024
Tyrosine kinases, drugs, and Shigella flexneri dissemination
Ana-Maria Dragoi1, Hervé Agaisse1
1Department of Microbial Pathogenesis; Boyer Center for Molecular Medicine; Yale School of Medicine; New Haven, CT USA.
Abstract:
Shigella flexneri is an enteropathogenic bacterium responsible for approximately 100 million cases of severe dysentery each year. S. flexneri colonization of the human colonic epithelium is supported by direct spread from cell to cell, which relies on actin-based motility. We have recently uncovered that, in intestinal epithelial cells, S. flexneri actin-based motility is regulated by the Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk). Consequently, treatment with Ibrutinib, a specific Btk inhibitor currently used in the treatment of B-cell malignancies, effectively impaired S. flexneri spread from cell to cell. Thus, therapeutic intervention capitalizing on drugs interfering with host factors supporting the infection process may represent an effective alternative to treatments with antimicrobial compounds.
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