Molecular and cell biological aspects of infection by Listeria monocytogenes

Bacterial pathogens have developed many subtle mechanisms to overcome and exploit cellular processes within the infected eukaryotic host cell. Listeria monocytogenes, a facultative intracellular non-spore forming gram-positive pathogen, uses a number of strategies to ursurp and harness host cell processes to invade, proliferate, move intracellularly and effect cell-to-cell spread during the course of infection. In this review progress in elucidating mechanisms by which the bacteria recruit and use components of the host actin-based cytoskeleton to generate intracellular motility is presented. Analysis of this fascinating property is giving us unexpected glimpses into the molecular mechanisms of complex cellular functions, here in particular, of actin-based cellular motility. Apart from an understanding of the fundamental biology of living processes these studies provide us with novel strategies to combat and halt infections by intracellular bacteria.