SAFE HAVEN - THE CELL BIOLOGY OF NONFUSOGENIC PATHOGEN VACUOLES

Our understanding of both membrane traffic in mammalian cells and the cell biology of infection with intracellular pathogens has increased d ramatically in recent years. In this review, we discuss the cell biolo gy of the host-microbe interaction for four intracellular pathogens: C hlamydia spp., Legionella pneumophila, Mycobacterium spp., and the pro tozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. All of these organisms reside in va cuoles inside cells that have restricted fusion with host organelles o f the endocytic cascade. Despite this restricted fusion, the vacuoles surrounding each pathogen display novel interactions with other host c ell organelles. In addition to the effect of infection on host membran e traffic, we focus on these novel interactions and relate them where possible to nutrient acquisition by the intracellular organisms.