Surface organelles assembled by secretion systems of Gram-negative bacteria: diversity in structure and function.

ABSTRACT: Gram-negative bacteria express a wide variety of organelles on their cell surface. These surface structures may be the end products of secretion systems, such as the hair-like fibers assembled by the chaperone/usher (CU) and type IV pilus pathways, which generally function in adhesion to surfaces and bacterial-bacterial and bacterial-host interactions. Alternatively, the surface organelles may be integral components of the secretion machinery itself, such as the needle complex and pilus extensions formed by the type III and type IV secretion systems, which function in the delivery of bacterial effectors inside host cells. Bacterial surface structures perform functions critical for pathogenesis and have evolved to withstand forces exerted by the external environment and cope with defenses m

SUBMITTER: Thanassi DG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3421059 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature