title: New insights into the role of Bartonella effector proteins in pathogenesis.
abstract: The facultative intracellular bacteria Bartonella spp. share a common infection strategy to invade and colonize mammals in a host-specific manner. Following transmission by blood-sucking arthropods, Bartonella are inoculated in the derma and then spread, via two sequential enigmatic niches, to the blood stream where they cause a long-lasting intra-erythrocytic bacteraemia. The VirB/VirD4 type IV secretion system (VirB/D4 T4SS) is essential for the pathogenicity of most Bartonella species by injecting an arsenal of effector proteins into host cells. These bacterial effector proteins share a modular architecture, comprising domains and/or motifs that confer an array of functions. Here, we review recent advances in understanding the function and evolutionary origin of this fascinating repertoire of host-targeted bacterial effectors.
authors.affiliation: Focal Area Infection Biology, Biozentrum, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Siamer
authors.affiliation: Focal Area Infection Biology, Biozentrum, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland. Electronic address: christoph.dehio@unibas.ch.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dehio
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001181:Arthropods; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D058947:Bacterial Secretion Systems; D001473:Bartonella / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D001769:Blood / Q000382:microbiology; D002468:Cell Physiological Phenomena / Q000187:drug effects*; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D008322:Mammals; D021381:Protein Transport; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D058947:Bacterial Secretion Systems; D037521:Virulence Factors