The Ctp type IVb pilus locus of Agrobacterium tumefaciens directs formation of the common pili and contributes to reversible surface attachment.

ABSTRACT: Agrobacterium tumefaciens can adhere to plant tissues and abiotic surfaces and forms biofilms. Cell surface appendages called pili play an important role in adhesion and biofilm formation in diverse bacterial systems. The A. tumefaciens C58 genome sequence revealed the presence of the ctpABCDEFGHI genes (cluster of type IV pili; Atu0216 to Atu0224), homologous to tad-type pilus systems from several bacteria, including Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Caulobacter crescentus. These systems fall into the type IVb pilus group, which can function in bacterial adhesion. Transmission electron microscopy of A. tumefaciens revealed the presence of filaments, significantly thinner than flagella and often bundled, associated with cell surfaces and shed into the external milieu. In-frame dele

SUBMITTER: Wang Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4135632 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature