Dataset Information

Structural characterization of CFA/III and Longus type IVb pili from enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli.

ABSTRACT: The type IV pili are helical filaments found on many Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria, with multiple diverse roles in pathogenesis, including microcolony formation, adhesion, and twitching motility. Many pathogenic enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) isolates express one of two type IV pili belonging to the type IVb subclass: CFA/III or Longus. Here we show a direct correlation between CFA/III expression and ETEC aggregation, suggesting that these pili, like the Vibrio cholerae toxin-coregulated pili (TCP), mediate microcolony formation. We report a 1.26-Å resolution crystal structure of CofA, the major pilin subunit from CFA/III. CofA is very similar in structure to V. cholerae TcpA but possesses a 10-amino-acid insertion that replaces part of the ?2-helix with an irregular loop containing a 3(10)-helix. Homology modeling suggests a very similar structure for the Longus LngA pilin. A model for the CFA/III pilus filament was generated using the TCP electron microscopy reconstruction as a template. The unique 3(10)-helix insert fits perfectly within the gap between CofA globular domains. This insert, together with differences in surface-exposed residues, produces a filament that is smoother and more negatively charged than TCP. To explore the specificity of the type IV pilus assembly apparatus, CofA was expressed heterologously in V. cholerae by replacing the tcpA gene with that of cofA within the tcp operon. Although CofA was synthesized and processed by V. cholerae, no CFA/III filaments were detected, suggesting that the components of the type IVb pilus assembly system are highly specific to their pilin substrates.

SUBMITTER: Kolappan S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3347196 | biostudies-literature | 2012 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Structural characterization of CFA/III and Longus type IVb pili from enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli.

Kolappan Subramaniapillai S Roos Justin J Yuen Alex S W AS Pierce Owen M OM Craig Lisa L

Journal of bacteriology 20120323 10

The type IV pili are helical filaments found on many Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria, with multiple diverse roles in pathogenesis, including microcolony formation, adhesion, and twitching motility. Many pathogenic enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) isolates express one of two type IV pili belonging to the type IVb subclass: CFA/III or Longus. Here we show a direct correlation between CFA/III expression and ETEC aggregation, suggesting that these pili, like the Vibrio cholerae toxin-coregu ...[more]

PMID: 22447901

Similar Datasets

Project description:This study investigated the role of three genes comprising part of the operon which encodes CS5 pili from enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli. In-frame gene deletions were constructed, and the effects on biogenesis of the pili were examined. A deletion in csfB abolished CsfA major subunit accumulation in the periplasm, which could be restored by trans-complementation with a complete copy of the csfB gene. Localization studies using an antibody against CsfB showed that this protein was periplasmically located, and thus CsfB is likely to function as the specific chaperone for CsfA. An in-frame deletion mutation in the csfE gene resulted in pili approximately three times longer than those of the wild-type strain, thereby indicating a role for CsfE in pilus length regulation. Localization studies using an antibody generated against CsfE showed low-level CsfE accumulation in the outer membranes. Modulation of csfE expression in trans did not reduce the mean length of the pilus below that of the wild type, which indicated that CsfE is not rate-limiting for termination of pilus assembly. Interestingly, a deletion in the csfF gene also resulted in an elongated pilus morphology identical to that of the csfE deletion strain. However, unlike CsfE, CsfF was shown to be rate-limiting for termination of assembly, since overexpression of CsfF in a csfF deletion strain resulted in a significant decrease in the mean length of the pilus compared to that of the wild type. When the same construct was introduced into the wild-type strain, pilus expression was abolished. Since CsfF bears significant homology to the proposed CsfB chaperone, CsfF was predicted to act as the specific chaperone for CsfE. A double deletion in the csfB and csfF genes was shown to abolish the periplasmic accumulation of both CsfA and CsfD pilins, which could be restored individually only when the strain was trans-complemented with a wild-type copy of csfB or csfF, respectively. Therefore, CsfF may chaperone not only CsfE but also CsfD. A model for CS5 biogenesis is also proposed based on these and previous observations.

Dataset Information

Structural characterization of CFA/III and Longus type IVb pili from enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli.

Publications

Structural characterization of CFA/III and Longus type IVb pili from enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets