Legionella pneumophila: homeward bound away from the phagosome

The intracellular pathogen Legionella pneumophila (Lp) survives and replicates inside a specialized vacuolar compartment that evades canonical phagosomal maturation. Through the action of a large number of effectors translocated into the host cytosol via the Dot/lcm type IV secretion system, Lp subverts host cell pathways to convert its nascent phagosome into an ER-derived compartment, the Legionella containing vacuole (LCV), which serves as bacterial replication niche.