Three Structural Solutions for Bacterial Adhesion Pilus Stability and Superelasticity

Overview

Journal Structure

Publisher Cell Press

Specialties Biochemistry
Biotechnology
Cell Biology
Molecular Biology

Date 2023 Mar 31

PMID 37001523

Authors

Matthew H Doran

Joseph L Baker

Tobias Dahlberg

Magnus Andersson

Esther Bullitt

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Bacterial adhesion pili are key virulence factors that mediate host-pathogen interactions in diverse epithelial environments. Deploying a multimodal approach, we probed the structural basis underpinning the biophysical properties of pili originating from enterotoxigenic (ETEC) and uropathogenic bacteria. Using cryo-electron microscopy we solved the structures of three vaccine target pili from ETEC bacteria, CFA/I, CS17, and CS20. Pairing these and previous pilus structures with force spectroscopy and steered molecular dynamics simulations, we find a strong correlation between subunit-subunit interaction energies and the force required for pilus unwinding, irrespective of genetic similarity. Pili integrate three structural solutions for stabilizing their assemblies: layer-to-layer interactions, N-terminal interactions to distant subunits, and extended loop interactions from adjacent subunits. Tuning of these structural solutions alters the biophysical properties of pili and promotes the superelastic behavior that is essential for sustained bacterial attachment.

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