New insights into the role of Bartonella effector proteins in pathogenesis.

New insights into the role of Bartonella effector proteins in pathogenesis. Curr Opin Microbiol. 2014 Nov 25;23C:80-85 Authors: Siamer S, Dehio C Abstract The facultative intracellular bacteria Bartonella spp. share a common infection strategy to invade and colonize mammals in a host-specific manner. Following transmission by blood-sucking arthropods, Bartonella are inoculated in the derma and then spread, via two sequential enigmatic niches, to the blood stream where they cause a long-lasting intra-erythrocytic bacteraemia. The VirB/VirD4 type IV secretion system (VirB/D4 T4SS) is essential for the pathogenicity of most Bartonella species by injecting an arsenal of effector proteins into host cells. These bacterial effector proteins share a modular architecture, comprising domains and/or motifs that confer an array of functions. Here, we review recent advances in understanding the function and evolutionary origin of this fascinating repertoire of host-targeted bacterial effectors. PMID: 25461577 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Current Opinion in Microbiology - Category: Microbiology Authors: Tags: Curr Opin Microbiol Source Type: research