Bacterial scaffolds assemble novel higher-order complexes to reengineer eukaryotic cell processes.

Many microbial pathogens use specialized secretion systems to inject proteins referred to as effectors directly into eukaryotic host cells. These effectors directly target various eukaryotic signaling pathways and cellular processes, often by mimicking the activity of host cell proteins. Effectors of pathogenic Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium can also act as molecular scaffolds that not only recruit but also directly regulate the activity and localization of multiple eukaryotic proteins. By assembling and localizing disparate signaling pathways, the bacteria can reengineer host cell processes to generate novel processes not previously observed in eukaryotic cells.