title: Listeria monocytogenes--a model system for studying the pathomechanisms of an intracellular microorganism.
abstract: Virulence of Listeria monocytogenes is determined by a cluster of five genes in the order plcA, hly, mpl, actA and plcB, which are coordinately regulated by a transcriptional activator, termed PrfA. The gene for PrfA is located in front of plcA. Mutations within each of these genes reduce the virulence considerably and render the mutants unable to properly multiply and/or spread within the infected host cells. Under growth-limiting conditions PrfA-dependent proteins are preferentially synthesised. These studies indicate the existence of additional PrfA-regulated proteins in L. monocytogenes. The synthesis of catalase, superoxide dismutase, LmaA and p60 is not under the control of PrfA. These proteins seem to be also associated with virulence of L. monocytogenes. P60-related proteins are found as major extracellular proteins in all Listeria species but only p60 of L. monocytogenes is able to restore the failure of R-mutants (exhibiting a drastically reduced synthesis of p60) to adhere to 3T6 mouse fibroblasts. Adherence of L. monocytogenes to the epithelial Caco-2 cells seem to be independent of p60. The p60 protein of L. monocytogenes differs characteristically from the p60-related proteins of the nonvirulent Listeria species.
authors.affiliation: Theodor-Boveri-Institut für Biowissenschaften (Biozentrum), Lehrstuhl für Mikrobiologie, Universität Würzburg, Germany.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Goebel
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leimeister-Wächter
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kuhn
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Domann
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chakraborty
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Köhler
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bubert
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wuenscher
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sokolovic
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002460:Cell Line; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D008089:Listeria monocytogenes / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D008954:Models, Biological; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016296:Mutagenesis; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins