Cryoelectron Microscopy Reconstructions of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Neisseria gonorrhoeae Type IV Pili at Sub-nanometer Resolution.

ABSTRACT: We report here cryoelectron microscopy reconstructions of type IV pili (T4P) from two important human pathogens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Neisseria gonorrhoeae, at ∼ 8 and 5 Å resolution, respectively. The two structures reveal distinct arrangements of the pilin globular domains on the pilus surfaces, which impart different helical parameters, but similar packing of the conserved N-terminal α helices, α1, in the filament core. In contrast to the continuous α helix seen in the X-ray crystal structures of the P. aeruginosa and N. gonorrhoeae pilin subunits, α1 in the pilus filaments has a melted segment located between conserved helix-breaking residues Gly14 and Pro22, as seen for the Neisseria meningitidis T4P. Using mutagenesis we show that Pro22 is critical for pilus assembly, as are Th

SUBMITTER: Wang F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8189185 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature