Host‐cell lipid rafts: a safe door for micro‐organisms?

Abstract

The lipid raft hypothesis proposed that these microdomains are small (10–200 nM), highly dynamic and enriched in cholesterol, glycosphingolipids and signalling phospholipids, which compartmentalize cellular processes. These membrane regions play crucial roles in signal transduction, phagocytosis and secretion, as well as pathogen adhesion/interaction. Throughout evolution, many pathogens have developed mechanisms to escape from the host immune system, some of which are based on the host membrane microdomain machinery. Thus lipid rafts might be exploited by pathogens as signalling and entry platforms. In this review, we summarize the role of lipid rafts as players in the overall invasion process used by different pathogens to escape from the host immune system.

Characterization of the Early Steps of Human Parvovirus B19 Infection

“…Other receptors have been shown to be important in the process of viral entry (12,40,58,59). Thus, lipid rafts may act as platforms for the concentration of virus receptors/coreceptors required for B19V infection, as has been shown for other viruses (55).…”

“…They are also involved in multiple stages of the virus life cycle, such as attachment, internalization, uncoating, protein transport, assembly, and budding (53,55). Several pieces of evidence indicate that B19V exploits lipid rafts during the process of entry: (i) colocalization of B19V and its receptor globoside (Gb4Cer) with the lipid raft marker GM1 (Fig.…”

Shiga toxin glycosphingolipid receptors of Vero-B4 kidney epithelial cells and their membrane microdomain lipid environment

“…GSLs preferentially distribute to phase-separated microdomains in the outer leafl et of the plasma membrane, which are suggested to operate as attachment platforms for host pathogens and their toxins on epithelial cells ( 57,92,93 ) to gain entry into cells and retrograde routing to intracellular targets in the cytosol ( 35,56,94 ). The analysis of Average values of triplicate TLC densitometric determinations of three separate experiments of each analyzed GSL in respective sucrose density gradient fractions are listed (see Fig.…”

Lipid metabolism modulation by the P2X7 receptor in the immune system and during the course of infection: new insights into the old view

“…These regions have an important role in several cellular processes, such as endocytosis and cell-cell or cell-pathogen adhesion [86]. However, one of the most studied functions is the formation of molecular clusters of lipids, proteins and their signal transduction machinery, which enhances signaling efficiency [87]. Our group performed functional assays in murine macrophages that were either treated or untreated with drugs that disrupt membrane microdomains and described that the disruption of lipid raft integrity could inhibit both ATP-induced permeabilization and apoptosis mediated by P2X7R.…”