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Updated: Sep 10, 2025
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Imaging InlC Secretion to Investigate Cellular Infection by the Bacterial Pathogen Listeria monocytogenes
Published on: September 19, 2013
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Role of Flotillin-1 In Listeria monocytogenes Cell-to-Cell Spreading
Petra A McLeod1, Julian A Guttman1
1Department of Biological Sciences, Centre for Cell Biology, Development, and Disease (C2D2), Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
The Journal of Infectious Diseases
|August 26, 2025
Summary
Flotillin-based endocytosis is crucial for Listeria monocytogenes cell-to-cell spread. This pathway, along with caveolin-mediated endocytosis, facilitates bacterial intercellular transfer by internalizing large membrane protrusions.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Cell Biology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Listeria monocytogenes utilizes actin-rich projections for intercellular spread.
- Caveolin-mediated endocytosis accounts for a significant portion of L. monocytogenes cell-to-cell spread.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of flotillin-based endocytosis in L. monocytogenes intercellular spread.
- To explore the interplay between flotillin-1 and caveolin-1 in bacterial internalization.
Main Methods:
- Depletion of flotillin-1 and caveolin-1 in host cells.
- Localization studies of flotillin-1 at bacterial invagination sites.
- Quantification of bacterial spread in knockdown cells.
Main Results:
- Flotillin-1 localizes to L. monocytogenes invaginations.
- Depletion of flotillin-1 significantly impairs bacterial transfer.
- Combined depletion of flotillin-1 and caveolin-1 causes a further significant decrease in spread.
Conclusions:
- Flotillin-based endocytosis is essential for L. monocytogenes cell-to-cell spread.
- This mechanism effectively internalizes large membrane protrusions during bacterial spread.
- Flotillin-1 and caveolin-1-mediated endocytosis have a cooperative role in L. monocytogenes intercellular dissemination.
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