A trip in the “New Microbiology” with the bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes

Listeria monocytogenes is a food-borne pathogen causing an opportunistic disease called listeriosis. This bacterium invades and replicates in most cell types, due to its multiple strategies to exploit host molecular mechanisms. Research aiming at unravelling Listeria invasion and intracellular lifestyle has led to a number of key discoveries in infection biology, cell biology and also microbiology. In this review, we report on our most recent advances in understanding the intimate crosstalk between the bacterium and its host, resulting from in-depth studies performed over the past five years. We specifically highlight new concepts in RNA-based regulation in bacteria and discuss important findings in cell biology, including a new role for clathrin and an atypical mitochondrial fragmentation mechanism. We also illustrate the notion that bacterial infection regulates host gene expression at the chromatin level, contributing to an emerging field called patho-epigenetics. This review corresponds to the lecture given by one of us (P.C.) on the occasion of the 2014 FEBS|EMBO Woman in Science Award.