Emerging functions as host cell factors - an encyclopedia of annexin-pathogen interactions

Emerging infectious diseases and drug-resistant infectious agents call for the development of innovative antimicrobial strategies. With pathogenicity now considered to arise from the complex and bi-directional interplay between a microbe and the host, host cell factor targeting has emerged as a promising approach that might overcome the limitations of classical antimicrobial drug development and could open up novel and efficient therapeutic strategies. Interaction with and modulation of host cell membranes is a recurrent theme in the host-microbe relationship. In this review, we provide an overview of what is currently known about the role of the Ca2+ dependent, membrane-binding annexin protein family in pathogen-host interactions, and discuss their emerging functions as host cell derived auxiliary proteins in microbe-host interactions and host cell targets.