Shigella, a major cause of bacterial dysentery, knows when it is not wanted. To generate and maintain its niche within host cells, this unwelcome guest injects several dozen virulence factors via a type 3 secretion system (T3SS). In this issue, Ashida et al (2020) have elucidated the role of two such factors from Shigella flexneri-OspC1 and OspD3-that together counteract apoptotic and necroptotic death pathways in colonised epithelial cells. As a result, Shigella can replicate to high levels within the colonic epithelium, leading to the substantial epithelial damage in shigellosis and efficient bacterial release for faecal transmission. © 2020 The Authors.
Sara J Thygesen, Adriana Pliego-Zamora, Katryn J Stacey. Manipulation of epithelial cell death pathways by Shigella. The EMBO journal. 2020 Sep 01;39(17):e106202
PMID: 32869315
View Full Text