How to Move from Cell to Cell without Leaving the Intracellular Space: Lessons from Intracellular Parasites

Intracellular parasites play an important role in human infectious diseases. Pathogenic bacteria of four genera (Shigella, Listeria, Rickettsia, and Burkholderia) have developed similar strategies for intracellular multiplication and dissemination inside tissues and organs: these bacteria destroy the phagosome to multiply in the cytoplasm and spread from cell to cell without leaving the intracellular space. For intracellular and intercellular movement, these bacteria use convergently developed mechanisms that control the synthesis of actin microfilaments, which are elements of the host cell’s cytoskeleton. The review discusses the molecular mechanisms underlying polymerization of actin microfilaments on the surface of bacteria and bacterial spreading from cell to cell. It also discusses the causes of development of the mechanisms of movement with the involvement of actin microfilaments and the potential of proteins providing intracellular and intercellular movement as a target for developing new antimicrobial agents.