Pathogens Hijack the Epigenome: A New Twist on Host-Pathogen Interactions.

Pathogens have evolved strategies to promote their survival by
dramatically modifying the transcriptional profile and protein content
of the host cells they infect. Modifications of the host transcriptome
and proteome are mediated by pathogen-encoded effector molecules that
modulate host cells through a variety of different mechanisms. Recent
studies highlight the importance of the host chromatin and other
epigenetic regulators as targets of pathogens. Host gene regulatory
mechanisms may be targeted through cytoplasmic signaling, directly by
pathogen effector proteins, and possibly by pathogen RNA. Although many
of these changes are short-lived and persist only during the course of
infection, several studies indicate that pathogens are able to induce
long-term, heritable changes that are essential to pathogenesis of
infectious diseases and persistence of pathogens within their hosts. In
this review, we discuss how pathogens modulate the epigenome of host
cells, a new and flourishing avenue of host-pathogen interaction
studies.