The actin-based motility of the facultative intracellular pathogen Listeria monocytogenes.

The Gram-positive bacterium Listeria monocytogenes is a facultative intracellular parasite that invades and multiplies within diverse eukaryotic cell types. An essential pathogenicity determinant is its ability to move in the host cell cytoplasm and to spread within tissues by directly passing from one cell to another. The propulsive force for intracellular movement is thought to be generated by continuous actin assembly at the rear end of the bacterium. Moving bacteria that reach the plasma membrane induce the formation of long membranous protrusions that are internalized by neighbouring cells, thus mediating the spread of infection. The unrelated pathogens Shigella and Rickettsia use a similar process of actin-based motility to disseminate in infected tissues. This review focuses on the bacterial and cellular factors involved in the actin-based motility of L. monocytogenes.