Bacterial proteins co-opt host cell skeletal elements to spread infection
Like many other bacteria, Rickettsia uses the actin cytoskeleton of the host cells to move within a cell and spread from one cell to another. It does this through the agency of a “comet tail” assembled from actin filaments, and inhibition of comet tail formation reduces the virulence of Rickettsia. The bacterial transporter protein Sca2 is required for assembly of comet tails; it functions similarly to the eukaryotic formin proteins in promoting actin filament formation.