Cytoskeletoxins: Bacterial and Viral Effector Proteins Targeting the Cytoskeleton 2.0

Dear Colleagues,

The ability to disrupt, manipulate, or hijack the cytoskeleton is a common feature of numerous bacterial and viral pathogens. These abilities developed in response to several factors, one of which is the remarkable functional and structural versatility of the cytoskeleton. As an essential and multifaceted component of both innate and adaptive immunity, a compromised cytoskeleton implies a compromised defense, which opens a direct route to abundant resources—the bona fide goal of all pathogens. Furthermore, F-actin and microtubules are tracks for myosin and kinesin motors, respectively, but also potent motors on their own. As such, they are an attractive source of mechanical power for entry, locomotion, spread, and egress of pathogens. The third reason the cytoskeleton is a common and attractive target for bacterial pathogens is its exceptionally high level of evolutionary conservation of the key elements of the eukaryotic cytoskeleton that are not found in bacteria. These properties ensure that, once developed, the pathogenicity factors can be universally and specifically applied for targeting a vast number of eukaryotic hosts while remaining benign to the pathogens that produce them.

Several effector proteins/toxins produced by pathogenic bacteria and viruses are reasonably well understood and have become indispensable tools for revealing secrets of the cytoskeleton's organization and function. Many are understood superficially, while others remain to be discovered. In this Special Issue of IJMS, we invite research publications and review articles in a broad area at the interface between pathogens and the cytoskeleton that reveal novel details of the toxin pathogenicity, contribute to the understanding of the host, or summarize existing knowledge on either of the two topics.

The word “cytoskeletoxins” in the title of this Special Issue cannot be found in dictionaries. It is meant to intrigue and attract the attention of potential authors and readers but also to emphasize that the number of effector proteins targeting the cytoskeleton is so large and their role in the pathogenesis of various infectious diseases is so important that this group of effectors deserves to be given a very special name.

Dr. Dmitri S. Kudryashov
Dr. Elena Kudryashova
Guest Editors

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