Bacterial injection machines: Evolutionary diverse but functionally convergent

Many human pathogens use Type III, Type IV, and Type VI secretion systems to deliver effectors into their target cells. The contribution of these secretion systems to microbial virulence was the main focus of a workshop organised by the International University of Andalusia in Spain. The meeting addressed structure-function, substrate recruitment, and translocation processes, which differ widely on the different secretion machineries, as well as the nature of the translocated effectors and their roles in subverting the host cell. An excellent panel of worldwide speakers presented the state of the art of the field, highlighting the involvement of bacterial secretion in human disease and discussing mechanistic aspects of bacterial pathogenicity, which can provide the bases for the development of novel antivirulence strategies.