LEEways: tales of EPEC, ATEC and EHEC.
Intestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli are a major cause of worldwide morbidity and mortality. Currently seven intestinal pathovars are recognized causing a wide range of intestinal disorders that are sometimes associated with severe and even lethal complications. The arsenal of virulence factors is used to subvert cellular functions of the host thereby enhancing adaptation, virulence and pathogenicity. Virulence factor profiles are largely the result of the acquisition of mobile genetic elements such as prophages and pathogenicity islands. A group of highly adapted intestinal pathogenic E. coli that are characterized by the induction of 'attaching-and-effacing (A/E) lesions' have acquired a decisive pathogenicity island, the 'locus of enterocyte effacement - LEE' by horizontal gene transfer. This review focuses on recent advances in our understanding of A/E E. coli. It highlights novel functions of effector proteins, addresses the LEE flanking regions where additional genetic elements such as the LifA/Efa1 region have been identified, and points to implications for diagnostics and therapy due to the putative interconversion of A/E E. coli during infection.
Schmidt
M Alexander
MA
Institut für Infektiologie - Zentrum für Molekularbiologie der Entzündung (ZMBE), Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 56, D-48149 Münster, Germany. infekt@uni-muenster.de
D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D054324:Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity; D054308:Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D022761:Gene Transfer, Horizontal; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D014644:Genetic Variation; D044404:Genomic Islands; D006801:Humans; D020071:Interspersed Repetitive Sequences; D007410:Intestinal Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000235:genetics*; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics; D014774:Virulence; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics
D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; C457340:LEE protein, E coli; C465556:Ler protein, E coli; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D037521:Virulence Factors