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Nature Reviews Microbiology 7, 760 (1 November 2009) | doi:10.1038/nrmicro2252

Bacterial pathogenesis: A 'hijacked' regulatory mechanism

Rachel David

To disseminate between host cells, Listeria monocytogenes polymerizes host cell actin using ActA, a bacterial protein that mimics the action of Wiscott–Aldrich syndrome protein (WASP) and recruits the actin-nucleating ARP2/3 complex to the bacterial surface. This results in the formation of actin tails, which are required for cell-to-cell migration.