The Bundle-forming Pilus and Other Type IVb Pili
Ekaterina Milgotina and Michael S. Donnenberg
from: Pili and Flagella: Current Research and Future Trends (Edited by: Ken Jarrell). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2009)
Abstract
Type IV pili are remarkable multifunctional organelles expressed by diverse pathogenic bacteria. Type IVb pili have proven highly amenable to study, in part because of the arrangement of the genes encoding their synthesis in contiguous clusters. In this chapter we review the biogenesis and function of type IVb pili, with an emphasis on the bundle-forming pilus produced by enteropathogenic Escherichia coli. In particular, we discuss the structure and function of the adhesive pilin protein and the cellular localization and known interactions among components of the biogenesis machinery read more ...
