Multifaceted activity of listeriolysin O, the cholesterol-dependent cytolysin of Listeria monocytogenes.

ABSTRACT: The cholesterol-dependent cytolysins (CDCs) are a large family of pore-forming toxins that are produced by numerous Gram-positive bacterial pathogens. These toxins are released in the extracellular environment as water-soluble monomers or dimers that bind to cholesterol-rich membranes and assemble into large pore complexes. Depending upon their concentration, the nature of the host cell and membrane (cytoplasmic or intracellular) they target, the CDCs can elicit many different cellular responses. Among the CDCs, listeriolysin O (LLO), which is a major virulence factor of the facultative intracellular pathogen Listeria monocytogenes, is involved in several stages of the intracellular lifecycle of the bacterium and displays unique characteristics. It has long been known that following L. mon

SUBMITTER: Seveau S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4266574 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature