title: Right on Q: genetics begin to unravel Coxiella burnetii host cell interactions.
abstract: Invasion of macrophages and replication within an acidic and degradative phagolysosome-like vacuole are essential for disease pathogenesis by Coxiella burnetii, the bacterial agent of human Q fever. Previous experimental constraints imposed by the obligate intracellular nature of Coxiella limited knowledge of pathogen strategies that promote infection. Fortunately, new genetic tools facilitated by axenic culture now allow allelic exchange and transposon mutagenesis approaches for virulence gene discovery. Phenotypic screens have illuminated the critical importance of Coxiella's type 4B secretion system in host cell subversion and discovered genes encoding translocated effector proteins that manipulate critical infection events. Here, we highlight the cellular microbiology and genetics of Coxiella and how recent technical advances now make Coxiella a model organism to study macrophage parasitism.
authors.affiliation: Coxiella Pathogenesis Section, Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 903 South 4th Street, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA.
authors.forename: Charles L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Larson
authors.affiliation: CNRS, FRE3698, CPBS, 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier, France.|Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.affiliation: Coxiella Pathogenesis Section, Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 903 South 4th Street, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA.
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Beare
authors.affiliation: Bioinformatics & Computational Biosciences Branch, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 903 South 4th Street, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA.
authors.forename: Brendan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jeffrey
authors.affiliation: Coxiella Pathogenesis Section, Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 903 South 4th Street, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA.
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Heinzen
authors.affiliation: CNRS, FRE3698, CPBS, 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier, France.|Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bonazzi
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics; D001343:Autophagy / Q000235:genetics; D058947:Bacterial Secretion Systems; D016997:Coxiella burnetii / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology*; D006367:HeLa Cells; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008264:Macrophages / Q000382:microbiology*; D016296:Mutagenesis; D010588:Phagosomes / Q000382:microbiology*; D021381:Protein Transport; D000069319:Type IV Secretion Systems / Q000235:genetics; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D058947:Bacterial Secretion Systems; D000069319:Type IV Secretion Systems
keywords: Coxiella burnetii; apoptosis; autophagy; effector protein; host cell invasion; macrophages; mutagenesis; phagolysosome; type 4B secretion; vacuole remodeling