Agaisse, H., Burrack, L.S., Philips, J.A., Rubin, E.J., Perrimon, N., Higgins, D.E. (2005). Genome-wide RNAi screen for host factors required for intracellular bacterial infection.  Science 309(5738): 1248--1251.

FBrf0188315

Research paper

Most studies of host-pathogen interactions have focused on pathogen-specific virulence determinants. Here, we report a genome-wide RNA interference screen to identify host factors required for intracellular bacterial pathogenesis. Using Drosophila cells and the cytosolic pathogen Listeria monocytogenes, we identified 305 double-stranded RNAs targeting a wide range of cellular functions that altered L. monocytogenes infection. Comparison to a similar screen with Mycobacterium fortuitum, a vacuolar pathogen, identified host factors that may play a general role in intracellular pathogenesis and factors that specifically affect access to the cytosol by L. monocytogenes.