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Engineering Adherent Bacteria by Creating a Single Synthetic Curli Operon
Published on: November 16, 2012
Protein interaction studies of curli fimbriae in Escherichia coli biofilms
Maithreyi Suresh Iyer1, P A Abhinand1, C R Hemalatha1
1Department of Bioinformatics, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Porur, Chennai-600 116, India.
Abstract:
Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) caused by biofilms on indwelling medical devices are the most common type of nosocomial infections, a major health concern due to complications and frequent recurrence. The infections are most often caused by Escherichia coli. Curli are proteinaceous components of a complex extracellular matrix produced by various strains of Enterobacteriaceae. Curli fibers are involved with adhesion to surfaces, cell aggregation and biofilm formation. Therefore, it is of interest to study the protein interactions in curli biogenesis, identifying proteins involved in curli biogenesis, the interactions and development of a combinatorial library of novel lead molecules against biofilm formation by Escherichia coli. Targeting the CsgG protein of Escherichia coli could provide new treatment modalities to fight CAUTIs, better. This study may also help study infections caused by various strains of Enterobacteriaceae, in general.
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