LECUIT , Marc

The endothelium lining blood and lymphatic vessels is a key barrier separating body fluids from host tissues and is a major target of pathogenic bacteria. Endothelial cells are actively involved in host responses to infectious agents, producing inflammatory cytokines, controlling coagulation cascades and regulating leukocyte trafficking. In...

E-cadherin mediates the formation of adherens junctions between epithelial cells. It serves as a receptor for Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterial pathogen that enters epithelial cells. The L. monocytogenes surface protein, InlA, interacts with the extracellular domain of E-cadherin. In adherens junctions, this ectodomain is involved in...