Type III secretion system

A needle-like protein-delivery apparatus used by some bacteria to inject effector proteins directly into host cells. It helps pathogens alter host-cell functions during infection.

Injectisome: A membrane-spanning type III secretion apparatus that exports bacterial proteins through a needle-like structure. This structural core forms the channel that carries substrates toward the host cell.
Bacterial secretion: The movement of proteins or other molecules across bacterial membranes or into the environment. Type III secretion is one specialized route within this broader transport process.
Salmonella pathogenicity island 1: A Salmonella genomic region encoding a type III secretion system and factors for intestinal invasion. Its secretion apparatus drives entry into intestinal epithelial cells.
Flagellar type III secretion system: The protein-export apparatus at the base of a bacterial flagellum that assembles its structural components. It shares ancestry and core export features with virulence-associated injection systems.
Type III secretion needle: A hollow, filamentous projection that extends the secretion apparatus beyond the bacterial surface. The needle bridges the gap between bacterium and host-cell membrane.
Protein secretion: The transport of proteins out of a cell or into a membrane or organelle. The system is a specialized protein-export pathway that bypasses conventional extracellular release.
Salmonella pathogenicity island 2: A Salmonella genomic region encoding a type III secretion system and factors for intracellular survival. Its apparatus delivers effectors that help Salmonella persist inside host cells.
Type III secretion system evolution: The evolutionary history of bacterial protein-injection systems and their relationships to other export machines. Comparative history explains the shared design of injectisomes and flagellar export systems.
Type III secretion translocon: A protein complex inserted into a host-cell membrane to form a passage for bacterial effectors. It completes the route from the bacterial needle into the host cytoplasm.
Effector protein: A protein delivered by one cell or organism into another to alter the recipient's functions. These injected proteins are the system's principal cargo.

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