AUTHOR=Huber Philippe 

TITLE=ExlA: A New Contributor to Pseudomonas aeruginosa Virulence

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-and-infection-microbiology/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2022.929150

DOI=10.3389/fcimb.2022.929150

ISSN=2235-2988

ABSTRACT=<p>ExlA (also called exolysin) is a recently discovered virulence factor secreted by a subset of <italic>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</italic> strains in which a type 3 secretion system is lacking. <italic>exlA</italic>-positive strains were identified worldwide in the clinic, causing several types of infectious diseases, and were detected in various locations in the environment. ExlA possesses pore-forming activity and is cytolytic for most human cell types. It belongs to a class of poorly characterized bacterial toxins, sharing a similar protein domain organization and a common secretion pathway. This review summarizes the recent findings regarding ExlA synthesis, its secretion pathway, and its toxic behavior for host cells.</p>