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Related Experiment Videos

Type IV pili and twitching motility.

John S Mattick1

  • 1ARC Special Research Centre for Functional and Applied Genomics, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane Qld. 4072, Australia. j.mattick@imb.uq.edu.au

Annual Review of Microbiology
|July 27, 2002
PubMed
Summary

Bacterial twitching motility, a flagella-independent movement using type IV pili, is crucial for pathogen colonization and biofilm formation. Understanding its genetic control and signaling pathways is key to controlling these processes.

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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Bacterial Physiology
  • Cell Motility

Background:

  • Twitching motility is a flagella-independent bacterial surface translocation mechanism.
  • It relies on the extension and retraction of polar type IV pili, functioning like a grappling hook.
  • This motility is vital for bacterial pathogens in host colonization, biofilm development, and fruiting body formation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the genetic and regulatory mechanisms governing twitching motility.
  • To understand the role of type IV pili in bacterial translocation.
  • To explore the connections between twitching motility, protein secretion, and DNA uptake systems.

Main Methods:

  • Identification and characterization of genes involved in type IV pili biogenesis in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

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  • Comparative genomics to identify homologous genes in related systems like type II secretion and competence.
  • Analysis of signal transduction pathways, including two-component systems and chemosensory networks, controlling motility.

    • Main Results:

    • Nearly 40 genes have been identified as essential for type IV pili assembly and function in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
    • Homologies suggest shared genetic architectures between type IV pili, type II protein secretion, and DNA uptake systems.
    • Twitching motility is regulated by complex signal transduction systems, including sensor-regulators and chemosensory pathways.

    Conclusions:

    • Type IV pili are central to twitching motility, a significant factor in bacterial pathogenesis and community behavior.
    • The genetic machinery for pili assembly shares commonalities with other essential bacterial systems.
    • Complex regulatory networks involving signal transduction pathways precisely control twitching motility.