Abstract
Nutrient generation and retrieval from the host cell cytosol by intra-vacuolar Legionella pneumophila.
Highlights
Microbial acquisition of nutrients in vivo is a fundamental aspect of infectious diseases, and is a potential target for antimicrobial therapy
Part of the innate host defense against microbial infection is nutritional restriction of access to sources of host nutrients (Abu Kwaik and Bumann, 2013; Eisenreich et al, 2013). Despite this host nutritional restriction, there has been a long held presumption that the host cell cytosol has sufficient nutrients for any intracellular pathogen, many bacteria fail to grow in the host cytosol if they are microinjected (Goetz et al, 2001)
Recent studies on the two intra-vacuolar pathogens Anaplasma phagocytophilum (Niu et al, 2012) and Legionella pneumophila (Price et al, 2011) and the cytosolic pathogen Francisella tularensis (Steele et al, 2013) have clearly shown that the levels of amino acids in the host cell cytosol are below the threshold sufficient to meet the tremendous demands for carbon, nitrogen and energy to power the robust intracellular proliferation of these pathogens (Abu Kwaik and Bumann, 2013)
Summary
Microbial acquisition of nutrients in vivo is a fundamental aspect of infectious diseases, and is a potential target for antimicrobial therapy. Recent studies on the two intra-vacuolar pathogens Anaplasma phagocytophilum (Niu et al, 2012) and Legionella pneumophila (Price et al, 2011) and the cytosolic pathogen Francisella tularensis (Steele et al, 2013) have clearly shown that the levels of amino acids in the host cell cytosol are below the threshold sufficient to meet the tremendous demands for carbon, nitrogen and energy to power the robust intracellular proliferation of these pathogens (Abu Kwaik and Bumann, 2013).
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