The bacterium Shigella flexneri, which causes dysentery, infects the gastrointestinal tract. It uses a type III secretion system as a molecular syringe to inject virulence factors into host cells during infection. It is now suggested that varying oxygen availability during different phases of infection tightly regulates expression of the secretion system, as well as the secretion of virulence factors.
- Benoit Marteyn
- Nicholas P. West
- Christoph M. Tang