Use of the plasminogen activation system by microorganisms

The use of host-derived PAS components by invasive bacteria is an increasin gly recognized mechanism for acquisition of extracellular proteolytic activ ity. This overview summarizes the pertinent contributions to this field and is divided into three parts: (1) the PAS, (2) the interaction of bacteria that produce their own plasminogen activators with the host's PAS, and (3) the interaction of bacteria that do not produce their own plasminogen activ ators but use plasminogen activators supplied by the host. The significance of these mechanisms in relation to the invasive potentials of the various organisms is discussed.