Chemical attenuation of pilus function and assembly in Gram-negative bacteria.

Alvin W H Lo, Kristof Moonens, Han Remaut

Structural and Molecular Microbiology, VIB Department of Structural Biology, VIB, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.

Current opinion in microbiology 2013 Feb

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Bacteria express a multitude of hair-like adhesive appendages on their cell surfaces, together referred to as pili or fimbriae. In Gram-negative bacteria, these proteinaceous structures are assembled through a number of dedicated secretion pathways including the chaperone-usher pathway, the nucleation/precipitation pathway and the type IV pilus pathway. Pili are prevalent in pathogenic strains and play important roles in the establishment and persistence of bacterial infections by mediating host cell adhesion, cell invasion or biofilm formation. Their indispensible roles in pathogenesis render them attractive targets for directed therapeutic intervention. Here, we describe the recent advances in the chemical attenuation of pilus-associated virulence in Gram-negative bacteria. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Citation

Alvin W H Lo, Kristof Moonens, Han Remaut. Chemical attenuation of pilus function and assembly in Gram-negative bacteria. Current opinion in microbiology. 2013 Feb;16(1):85-92