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Role of Listeria monocytogenes Exotoxins in Virulence

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Microbial Toxins

Part of the book series: Toxinology ((TOXI))

Abstract

Listeria monocytogenes is an opportunistic intracellular bacterium responsible for the disease listeriosis. This review will update the knowledge on the four exotoxins secreted by this intracellular pathogen: the cholesterol-dependent cytolysin listeriolysin O (LLO), phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PlcA), broad-range phospholipase C (PlcB), and hemolysin listeriolysin S (LLS). Each one of these exotoxins has evolved to perform specific and important functions in the extracellular or intracellular environment during the life cycle of L. monocytogenes. LLO, PlcA, and PlcB were discovered decades ago; however, recent studies are revisiting their functions and revealing new previously unexpected insights. In the same line, LLS was discovered almost a decade ago, but it was recently deciphered that it is not only a toxin for eukaryotic cells but also a bacteriocin targeting bacteria closely related to L. monocytogenes. These latest findings, together with the knowledge generated during the history of listeriology, will be discussed in the light of their impact on the infectious process.

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Acknowledgments

We apologize to colleagues whose work could not be included in this article owing to space and reference limitations. Work in the laboratory was supported by the Institut Pasteur, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM Unité 604), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA Unité Sous Contrat 2020), Institut Pasteur (PTR460 and PTR521 to JPC), L’Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) (ANR-15-CE15-0017 StopBugEntry to JPC), Fondation Le Roch-Les Mousquetaires, Fondation Balzan, and European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant (670823 BacCellEpi to PC). PC is an international senior research scholar of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. INSERM U604, Unité des Interactions Bactéries-Cellules, Institut Pasteur, Paris, F-75015, France

    Juan José Quereda, Pascale Cossart & Javier Pizarro-Cerdá

  2. INRA USC2020, Unité des Interactions Bactéries-Cellules, Institut Pasteur, Paris, F-75015, France

    Juan José Quereda, Pascale Cossart & Javier Pizarro-Cerdá

Authors
  1. Juan José Quereda
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  2. Pascale Cossart
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  3. Javier Pizarro-Cerdá
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Correspondence to Juan José Quereda , Pascale Cossart or Javier Pizarro-Cerdá .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    P. Gopalakrishnakone

  2. Biology Department, Wilson College , Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, USA

    Brad Stiles

  3. Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine and Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Faculty of Microbiology, University of Costa Rica , San Pedro de Montes de Oca, Costa Rica

    Alberto Alape-Girón

  4. Département de pathologie et microbiologie, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal , Saint-Hyacinthe, Canada

    J. Daniel Dubreuil

  5. College of Pharmacy, Roseman University of Health Sciences, Henderson, Nevada, USA

    Manas Mandal

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Quereda, J.J., Cossart, P., Pizarro-Cerdá, J. (2016). Role of Listeria monocytogenes Exotoxins in Virulence. In: Gopalakrishnakone, P., Stiles, B., Alape-Girón, A., Dubreuil, J., Mandal, M. (eds) Microbial Toxins. Toxinology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6725-6_24-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6725-6_24-2

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  • Online ISBN: 978-94-007-6725-6

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Exotoxins in Virulence
    Published:
    12 December 2016

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6725-6_24-2

  2. Original

    Exotoxins in Virulence
    Published:
    07 September 2016

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6725-6_24-1

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