Fimbrial signature arrangements in Salmonella
Sean-Paul Nuccio, Nicholas R. Thomson, Maria C. Fookes and Andreas J. Bäumler
from: Salmonella: From Genome to Function (Edited by: Steffen Porwollik). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2011)
Abstract
The complement of fimbrial operons held within a genome represents one of the key differentiating features of the sequenced Salmonella serovars and one of the single largest sources of genetic diversity. Generically described as filamentous non-flagellar surface appendages, fimbriae (also known as pili) typically imbue an adhesive trait to the cells expressing them. While much is known about the general biology of fimbrial assembly mechanisms, the role of these structures in Salmonella pathogenesis remains poorly characterized. Here we present fimbrial operon data gathered from the seventeen completed Salmonella genome sequences and discuss its implications in Salmonella pathogenesis and dissemination read more ...
