Bacterial effector protein

Bacterial effectors are proteins secreted by pathogenic bacteria into the cells of their host, usually using a type 3 secretion system (TTSS/T3SS), a type 4 secretion system (TFSS/T4SS) or a Type VI secretion system (T6SS).[1] Some bacteria inject only a few effectors into their host’s cells while others may inject dozens or even hundreds. Effector proteins may have many different activities, but usually help the pathogen to invade host tissue, suppress its immune system, or otherwise help the pathogen to survive.[2] Effector proteins are usually critical for virulence. For instance, in the causative agent of plague (Yersinia pestis), the loss of the T3SS is sufficient to render the bacteria completely avirulent, even when they are directly introduced into the bloodstream.[3] Gram negative microbes are also suspected to deploy bacterial outer membrane vesicles to translocate effector proteins and virulence factors via a membrane vesicle trafficking secretory pathway, in order to modify their environment or attack/invade target cells, for example, at the host-pathogen interface.

  1. ^ Ho, Brian T.; Fu, Yang; Dong, Tao G.; Mekalanos, John J. (29 August 2017). "Vibrio cholerae type 6 secretion system effector trafficking in target bacterial cells". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 114 (35): 9427–9432. Bibcode:2017PNAS..114.9427H. doi:10.1073/pnas.1711219114. PMC 5584461. PMID 28808000.
  2. ^ Mattoo, Seema; Lee, Yvonne M; Dixon, Jack E (August 2007). "Interactions of bacterial effector proteins with host proteins". Current Opinion in Immunology. 19 (4): 392–401. doi:10.1016/j.coi.2007.06.005. PMID 17662586.
  3. ^ Viboud, Gloria I.; Bliska, James B. (October 2005). "OUTER PROTEINS: Role in Modulation of Host Cell Signaling Responses and Pathogenesis". Annual Review of Microbiology. 59 (1): 69–89. doi:10.1146/annurev.micro.59.030804.121320. PMID 15847602.