Chemical genetics reveals bacterial and host cell functions critical for type IV effector translocation by Legionella pneumophila.

ABSTRACT: Delivery of effector proteins is a process widely used by bacterial pathogens to subvert host cell functions and cause disease. Effector delivery is achieved by elaborate injection devices and can often be triggered by environmental stimuli. However, effector export by the L. pneumophila Icm/Dot Type IVB secretion system cannot be detected until the bacterium encounters a target host cell. We used chemical genetics, a perturbation strategy that utilizes small molecule inhibitors, to determine the mechanisms critical for L. pneumophila Icm/Dot activity. From a collection of more than 2,500 annotated molecules we identified specific inhibitors of effector translocation. We found that L. pneumophila effector translocation in macrophages requires host cell factors known to be involved in phago

SUBMITTER: Charpentier X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2698123 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature