Abstract
Type IV pili are long polymers located on the surface of a wide variety of bacterial cells, including the pathogen Neisseria meningitidis. They are responsible for a diverse range of functions, including adhesion, motility and natural transformation. In this issue of The EMBO Journal, Imhaus and Duménil show that two minor pilins, PilX and PilV, exert some of their effects by changing mean surface pilus number and that this modulates different pilus-dependent functions.
Highlights
Type IV pili are long polymers located on the surface of a wide variety of bacterial cells, including the pathogen Neisseria meningitidis
Type IV pili (TFP) are the most widespread class of pili or fimbriae found in bacteria; they have a particular importance in proteobacteria which cause human disease, such as Neisseria meningitidis, the causative agent of meningococcal meningitis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (Pelicic, 2008)
Type IV pili are predominantly composed of a major pilin protein which adopts a conserved fold, based on a single a-helix packed against a 4-stranded b-sheet
Summary
Type IV pili are long polymers located on the surface of a wide variety of bacterial cells, including the pathogen Neisseria meningitidis. We know little at present to answer these questions, but some pertinent observations from the recent paper from Imhaus and Dumenil (2014) suggests a role for two minor pilins, PilX and PilV, in the process.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
