Feast or famine: the host–pathogen battle over amino acids

YJ Zhang, EJ Rubin - Cellular microbiology, 2013 - Wiley Online Library
YJ Zhang, EJ Rubin
Cellular microbiology, 2013Wiley Online Library
Intracellular bacterial pathogens often rely on their hosts for essential nutrients. Host cells, in
turn, attempt to limit nutrient availability, using starvation as a mechanism of innate immunity.
Here we discuss both host mechanisms of amino acid starvation and the diverse
adaptations of pathogens to their nutrient‐deprived environments. These processes provide
both key insights into immune subversion and new targets for drug development.
Summary
Intracellular bacterial pathogens often rely on their hosts for essential nutrients. Host cells, in turn, attempt to limit nutrient availability, using starvation as a mechanism of innate immunity. Here we discuss both host mechanisms of amino acid starvation and the diverse adaptations of pathogens to their nutrient‐deprived environments. These processes provide both key insights into immune subversion and new targets for drug development.
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