Zipper mechanism

The zipper mechanism is a receptor- mediated invasion process of pathogenic bacteria into eukaryotic host cells. This is characterized by actin polymerisation and membrane protuberances, which ultimately lead to the uptake of the bacterium. Pathogens like Yersinia pseudotuberculosis , Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus use the zipper mechanism to penetrate the organism or to persist .

The binding of the ligand essentially activates the host cell's own signaling pathways without further involvement of the pathogen, as dead bacteria or globules with the respective ligands are also taken up by the host cell, in contrast to the trigger mechanism , in which the pathogen actively mediators into the cell injected. The receptors involved, such as integrins and cadherins, are usually used to establish cell contacts or for adhesion to the basement membrane .

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• Pascale Cossart, Philippe J. Sansonetti: Bacterial Invasion: The Paradigms of Enteroinvasive Pathogens . Science 304: 242 (2004). doi : 10.1126 / science.1090124
• Christof R. Hauck, Franziska Agerer, Petra Muenzner, Tim Schmitter: Cellular adhesion molecules as targets for bacterial infection . European Journal of Cell Biology 85 (2006), 3/4, pp 235-242. doi : 10.1016 / j.ejcb.2005.08.002