Ankyrin repeat proteins comprise a diverse family of bacterial type IV effectors.
Specialized secretion systems are used by many bacteria to deliver effector proteins into host cells that can either mimic or disrupt the function of eukaryotic factors. We found that the intracellular pathogens Legionella pneumophila and Coxiella burnetii use a type IV secretion system to deliver into eukaryotic cells a large number of different bacterial proteins containing ankyrin repeat homology domains called Anks. The L. pneumophila AnkX protein prevented microtubule-dependent vesicular transport to interfere with fusion of the L. pneumophila-containing vacuole with late endosomes after infection of macrophages, which demonstrates that Ank proteins have effector functions important for bacterial infection of eukaryotic host cells.
Section of Microbial Pathogenesis, Yale University School of Medicine, 295 Congress Avenue, New Haven, CT 06536, USA.
Xiaoxiao
X
Pan
Anja
A
Lührmann
Ayano
A
Satoh
Michelle A
MA
Laskowski-Arce
Craig R
CR
Roy
D000818:Animals; D017089:Ankyrin Repeat; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016466:CHO Cells; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016997:Coxiella burnetii / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D006224:Cricetinae; D003412:Cricetulus; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000378:metabolism; D022162:Cytoplasmic Vesicles / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003600:Cytosol / Q000378:metabolism; D006056:Golgi Apparatus / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007425:Intracellular Membranes / Q000378:metabolism; D016952:Legionella pneumophila / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D008870:Microtubules / Q000378:metabolism; D021381:Protein Transport; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D014617:Vacuoles / Q000382:microbiology
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D000242:Cyclic AMP