Binding site plasticity regulation of the FimH catch-bond mechanism.

ABSTRACT: The bacterial fimbrial adhesin FimH is a remarkable and well-studied catch-bond protein found at the tip of E. coli type 1 pili, which allows pathogenic strains involved in urinary tract infections to bind high-mannose glycans exposed on human epithelia. The catch-bond behavior of FimH, where the strength of the interaction increases when a force is applied to separate the two partners, enables the bacteria to resist clearance when they are subjected to shear forces induced by urine flow. Two decades of experimental studies performed at the single-molecule level, as well as x-ray crystallography and modeling studies, have led to a consensus picture whereby force separates the binding domain from an inhibitor domain, effectively triggering an allosteric conformational change in the former.

SUBMITTER: Languin-Cattoen O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10397818 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature