Listeria lifecycle (IMAGE)
Caption
The Listeria lifecycle after it infects a mammalian host. Counterclockwise from upper left, the bacteria are quickly ingested by an immune system cell called a macrophage, where they end up in an organ called the phagosome for digestion. But they escape the phagosome and enlist a protein called actin to build a needle-like protrusion and push it through the cell wall into a neighboring cell, starting the cycle over again. The Listeria strain used for cancer therapy is unable to co-opt actin and thus cannot infect other cells to cause illness.
Credit
Creative Commons License 3.0, courtesy of the American Society for Cell Biology
Usage Restrictions
No restrictions.
License
CC0