Pathogenic rickettsiae encode a secreted lipase that facilitates intracytosolic colonization in host cells.

ABSTRACT: Key cellular processes for the rickettsial obligate intracellular lifestyle, including internalization by phagocytosis, regulation of intracellular trafficking, and evasion of lysosomal destruction to establish an intracytosolic replication niche, remain poorly defined. Recent reports showed that rickettsial phospholipases play an important role in vacuolar escape, but their functions are dispensable depending on the host cell-type. Here, we report the identification of a putative lipase (locus_tag: A1G_01170) with a Serine hydrolase motif (GXSXG) in the R. rickettsii (Sheila Smith) genome, which we named RLip (Rickettsia Lipase). Sequence comparison shows that the Serine hydrolase motif is conserved among RLip molecules of other Rickettsia species. Our work reveals that RLip harbors a lip

SUBMITTER: Sadik M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12507273 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature