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A tale of two pili: assembly and function of pili in bacteria

Kimberly A Kline1, Karen W Dodson, Michael G Caparon

  • 1Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA.

Trends in Microbiology
|April 10, 2010
PubMed

Insights

This review explores bacterial pili, focusing on Gram-negative chaperone/usher and Gram-positive sortase-assembled systems. Understanding their biogenesis advances knowledge of host-pathogen interactions and bacterial disease progression.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Structural Biology

Background:

  • Bacterial pili mediate host-pathogen interactions, crucial for Gram-negative bacterial diseases.
  • Emerging research highlights the role and unique biogenesis of pili in Gram-positive bacteria.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent advances in Gram-negative chaperone/usher and Gram-positive sortase-assembled pilus systems.
  • To explore similarities and unique paradigms in the biogenesis of these two pilus types.
  • To inform future research by comparing and contrasting these systems.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of recent structural and molecular studies.
  • Comparative analysis of chaperone/usher and sortase-assembled pilus biogenesis pathways.

Main Results:

  • New structural and molecular details have emerged for both chaperone/usher and sortase-assembled pili.
  • Identified similarities in the assembly mechanisms of these distinct pilus systems.
  • Highlighted unique biogenesis paradigms specific to Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria.

Conclusions:

  • Comparative insights into pilus biogenesis can drive novel research questions.
  • Understanding diverse pilus assembly mechanisms enhances knowledge of bacterial virulence.
  • This review bridges knowledge gaps between Gram-negative and Gram-positive pilus research.

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