Actin Cytoskeleton Manipulation by Effector Proteins Secreted by Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli Pathotypes

Figure 1

A model for Shigella/EIEC infection of colonic epithelial cells. Shigella/EIEC invade the epithelium from the intestinal lumen through M-cells. After reaching the epithelium they invade epithelial cells and are phagocytosed by resident macrophages. Shigella/EIEC escape the phagosome of both cells but while Shigella/EIEC replicate within epithelial cells, they induce apoptosis in macrophages. Bacteria are released and can invade the epithelial cells from the basolateral side, move into the cytoplasm by triggering actin polymerization, and spread to adjacent cells (for full details, see main text).