New insights into the crosstalk between Shigella and T lymphocytes

Abstract

Subversion of host immune responses is the key infection strategy employed by most, if not all, human pathogens. Modulation of the host innate response by pathogens has been vastly documented. Yet, especially for bacterial infections, it was only recently that cells of the adaptive immune response were recognized as targets of bacterial weapons such as the type III secretion system (T3SS) and its effector proteins. In this review, we focus on the recent advances made in the understanding of how the enteroinvasive bacterium Shigella flexneri interferes with the host adaptive response by targeting T lymphocytes, especially their migration capacities.

Keywords: Shigella; T lymphocyte; adaptive immunity; lymph node; two-photon microscopy; type III secretion system.