Open AccessType III secretion: The bacteria‐eukaryotic cell express
Author(s) -
Mota Luís Jaime,
Sorg Isabel,
Cornelis Guy R.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1016/j.femsle.2005.08.036
Subject(s) - secretion , cytosol , flagellum , bacteria , microbiology and biotechnology , bacterial cell structure , transport protein , signal peptide , effector , secretory protein , cell , biology , chromosomal translocation , biochemistry , peptide sequence , gene , genetics , enzyme
Type III secretion (T3S) is an export pathway used by Gram‐negative pathogenic bacteria to inject bacterial proteins into the cytosol of eukaryotic host cells. This pathway is characterized by (i) a secretion nanomachine related to the bacterial flagellum, but usually topped by a stiff needle‐like structure; (ii) the assembly in the eukaryotic cell membrane of a translocation pore formed by T3S substrates; (iii) a non‐cleavable N‐terminal secretion signal; (iv) T3S chaperones, assisting the secretion of some substrates; (v) a control mechanism ensuring protein delivery at the right place and time. Here, we review these different aspects focusing in open questions that promise exciting findings in the near future.