Nonprofessional Phagocytic Cell Receptors Involved inStaphylococcus aureusInternalization

Abstract

Staphylococcus aureusis a successful human and animal pathogen. The majority of infections caused by this pathogen are life threatening, primarily becauseS. aureushas developed multiple evasion strategies, possesses intracellular persistence for long periods, and targets the skin and soft tissues. Therefore, it is very important to understand the mechanisms employed byS. aureusto colonize and proliferate in these cells. The aim of this review is to describe the recent discoveries concerning the host receptors of nonprofessional phagocytes involved inS. aureusinternalization. Most of the knowledge related to the interaction ofS. aureuswith its host cells has been described in professional phagocytic cells such as macrophages. Here, we showed that in nonprofessional phagocytes theα5β1 integrin host receptor, chaperons, and the scavenger receptor CD36 are the main receptors employed duringS. aureusinternalization. The characterization and identification of new bacterial effectors and the host cell receptors involved will undoubtedly lead to new discoveries with beneficial purposes.