“…As first described in prototypical EPEC strain E2348/69 ( Perna et al, 1998 ; Iguchi et al, 2009 ) and EHEC strain EDL933 (or strain Sakai) ( Hayashi et al, 2001 ; Perna et al, 2001 ; Latif et al, 2014 ), the core region of the PAI consists of 41 CDS, organized into (i) 5 operons named LEE-1 to LEE-5 encoding transcriptional regulators, including the master LEE-encoded regulator (Ler), chaperones and structural components of the T3aSS, as well as some effectors, (ii) one grlAB bicistron encoding transcriptional regulators, and (iii) some monocistrons. The T3aSS constitutes a major virulence factor that allows the assembly of a cell-surface needle structure, the injectisome which enables the direct transport of virulence effectors into a host cell ( Cornelis, 2006 ; Desvaux et al, 2006 ; Brutinel and Yahr, 2008 ; Mueller et al, 2008 ; Diepold and Wagner, 2014 , 2014 ; Platenkamp and Mellies, 2018 ; Lara-Tejero and Galán, 2019 ; Ageorges et al, 2020 ). The regulation and function of the T3aSS has been extensively reviewed and readers are invited to consult the above reviews for further details on this vast field of research.…”