Publications
Using host-pathogen protein interactions to identify and characterize Francisella tularensis virulence factors
Wallqvist A, Memišević V, Zavaljevski N, Pieper R, Rajagopala SV, Kwon K, Yu C, Hoover TA, Reifman J
PMID: 26714771
Abstract
Francisella tularensis is a select bio-threat agent and one of the most virulent intracellular pathogens known, requiring just a few organisms to establish an infection. Although several virulence factors are known, we lack an understanding of virulence factors that act through host-pathogen protein interactions to promote infection. To address these issues in the highly infectious F. tularensis subsp. tularensis Schu S4 strain, we deployed a combined in silico, in vitro, and in vivo analysis to identify virulence factors and their interactions with host proteins to characterize bacterial infection mechanisms.