In order to interact with their host, pathogenic strains of E. coli need to
secrete some virulence factors which can modify the metabolism of host cel
ls, contributing to disease. Since E. coli is a Gram-negative bacteria, thi
s secretion process involves the crossing of both the inner and the outer m
embranes. E. coli uses mainly four secretion mechanisms called type I, type
II, type III and type IV secretion systems. In the type I secretion system
, the secretion machinery is composed of three proteins forming a channel t
hrough the inner and outer membranes. It is a one-step mechanism. The secre
tion signal is present in the carboxyterminal region of the secreted protei
n but without proteolytic cleavage. In E. coli, the best studied type I sec
reted protein is haemolysin. In type II and type IV secretion systems, the
crossing of the inner membrane involves the sec machinery with the cleavage
of an aminoterminal signal sequence. The crossing of the outer membrane in
volves the formation of a pore either by other proteins (type II) or by the
carboxyterminal region of the protein (type IV). The A-B toxins, such as h
eat labile enterotoxin, are secreted by the first mechanism and members of
the IgA proteases are secreted by the second. The type III secretion system
involves at least 20 proteins including cytoplasmic, inner membrane and ou
ter membrane proteins. The originality of this system is the ability to inj
ect secreted bacteria into the cytosol of the host cells. Such a system is
found in attaching and effacing E. coli and in diffusely adhering E, coli.
(C) Inra/Elsevier, Paris.