Recognition of extracellular DNA by type IV pili promotes biofilm formation by Clostridioides difficile.

ABSTRACT: Clostridioides difficile is a Gram-positive bacillus, which is a frequent cause of gastrointestinal infections triggered by the depletion of the gut microbiome. Because of the frequent recurrence of these infections after antibiotic treatment, mechanisms of C. difficile persistence and recurrence, including biofilm formation, are of increasing interest. Previously, our group and others found that type IV pili, filamentous helical appendages polymerized from protein subunits, promoted microcolony and biofilm formation in C. difficile. In Gram-negative bacteria, the ability of type IV pili to mediate bacterial self-association has been explained through interactions between the pili of adjacent cells, but type IV pili from several Gram-negative species are also required for natural competenc

SUBMITTER: Ronish LA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9556784 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature