The <i>Rickettsia</i> actin-based motility effectors RickA and Sca2 contribute differently to cell-to-cell spread and pathogenicity.

ABSTRACT: Rickettsia parkeri is an obligate intracellular, tick-borne bacterial pathogen that can cause eschar-associated rickettsiosis in humans. R. parkeri invades host cells, escapes from vacuoles into the cytosol, and undergoes two independent modes of actin-based motility mediated by effectors RickA or Sca2. Actin-based motility of R. parkeri enables bacteria to enter protrusions of the host cell plasma membrane that are engulfed by neighboring host cells. However, whether and how RickA and Sca2 independently contribute to cell-to-cell spread in vitro or pathogenicity in vivo has been unclear. Using live cell imaging of rickA::Tn and sca2::Tn mutants, we discovered both RickA and Sca2 contribute to different modes of cell-to-cell spread. Compared

SUBMITTER: Tran CJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11796396 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature