title: Unraveling the role of membrane microdomains during microbial infections.
abstract: Infectious diseases pose major socioeconomic and health-related threats to millions of people across the globe. Strategies to combat infectious diseases derive from our understanding of the complex interactions between the host and specific bacterial, viral, and fungal pathogens. Lipid rafts are membrane microdomains that play important role in life cycle of microbes. Interaction of microbial pathogens with host membrane rafts influences not only their initial colonization but also their spread and the induction of inflammation. Therefore, intervention strategies aimed at modulating the assembly of membrane rafts and/or regulating raft-directed signaling pathways are attractive approaches for the. management of infectious diseases. The current review discusses the latest advances in terms of techniques used to study the role of membrane microdomains in various pathological conditions and provides updated information regarding the role of membrane rafts during bacterial, viral and fungal infections.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pulmonary Immuno-Toxicology, Department of Environmental Toxicology, Health Research Center, Southern University and A&M College, Baton Rouge, LA, 70813, USA.
authors.forename: Prathyusha
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bagam
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pulmonary Immuno-Toxicology, Department of Environmental Toxicology, Health Research Center, Southern University and A&M College, Baton Rouge, LA, 70813, USA.
authors.forename: Dhirendra P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Suipacha, Rosario, Argentina.
authors.forename: Maria Eugenia
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Inda
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pulmonary Immuno-Toxicology, Department of Environmental Toxicology, Health Research Center, Southern University and A&M College, Baton Rouge, LA, 70813, USA. sanjay_batra@subr.edu.
authors.forename: Sanjay
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Batra
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D021962:Membrane Microdomains / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology
keywords: Bacteria; Caveolae; Cholesterol; Fungus; Lipid rafts; Microdomains; Signaling; Virus