Manipulation of mitochondrial function by Legionella pneumophila.

细胞内细菌病原体嗜肺军团菌（Legionella pneumophila）与真核宿主共同进化，并且已经开发出复杂的机制来操纵人类细胞功能-特别是线粒体-通过经由专门的IV型系统分泌>300种效应蛋白到宿主细胞中。这项研究旨在了解靶向线粒体的效应蛋白的功能;提供宿主病原体和线粒体生物学以及先进细胞生物学工具的重要新知识。由于大多数效应蛋白尚未被表征，该项目的好处将是具体揭示这些靶向线粒体的方式，以及更广泛地说，细菌病原体如何操纵细胞器以生存。

The intracellular bacterial pathogen Legionella pneumophila co-evolved with eukaryotic hosts and has developed sophisticated mechanisms to manipulate human cell function – mitochondria in particular – by secreting >300 effector proteins through a specialised Type-IV system into the host cell. This research aims to understand the function of effector proteins targeted to mitochondria; delivering important new knowledge in host-pathogen and mitochondrial biology and advanced cell biology tools. With most of the effector proteins yet to be characterised, benefits from the project will be to reveal specifically how these target mitochondria, and more broadly, how bacterial pathogens manipulate organelles for their survival.