The Dot/lcm transporter of Legionella pneumophila: a bacterial conductor of vesicle trafficking that orchestrates the establishment of a replicative organelle in eukaryotic hosts.

Legionella pneumophila are gram negative bacteria that parasitize professional phagocytes. When ingested by their eukaryotic hosts, these bacteria have the unique ability to alter maturation of the endocytic vacuoles in which they reside initially and create an organelle that supports replication. This review will focus on several scientific breakthroughs made recently that shed light on the mechanisms by which L. pneumophila are able to establish a niche permissive for intracellular growth.