Implications of molecular contacts and signaling initiated by Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

Neisseria gonorrhoeae employs diverse strategies with which to adhere to and invade host cells during the course of infection. These primary encounters provide means by which biologically active molecules can be efficiently targeted to disrupt or exploit normal host cell metabolism and immune response elements, which in turn leads to the pathological responses characteristic of gonococcal disease. Current studies have begun to elucidate in detail the molecular interactions orchestrating these processes and the signaling events that they provoke.