Assembly and Post-assembly Turnover and Dynamics in the Type III Secretion System.

The type III secretion system (T3SS) is one of the largest transmembrane complexes in bacteria, comprising several intricately linked and embedded substructures. The assembly of this nanomachine is a hierarchical process which is regulated and controlled by internal and external cues at several critical points. Recently, it has become obvious that the assembly of the T3SS is not a unidirectional and deterministic process, but that parts of the T3SS constantly exchange or rearrange. This article aims to give an overview on the assembly and post-assembly dynamics of the T3SS, with a focus on emerging general concepts and adaptations of the general assembly pathway.