The Plasmid R64 Thin Pilus Identified As a Type IV Pilus

Overview

Journal J Bacteriol

Publisher American Society for Microbiology

Specialty Microbiology

Date 1997 Jun 1

PMID 9171405

Citations 65

Authors

S R Kim

T Komano

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The entire nucleotide sequence of the pil region of the IncI1 plasmid R64 was determined. Analysis of the sequence indicated that 14 genes, designated pilI through pilV, are involved in the formation of the R64 thin pilus. Protein products of eight pil genes were identified by the maxicell procedure. The pilN product was shown to be a lipoprotein by an experiment using globomycin. A computer search revealed that several R64 pil genes have amino acid sequence homology with proteins involved in type IV pilus biogenesis, protein secretion, and transformation competence. The pilS and pilV products were suggested to be prepilins for the R64 thin pilus, and the pilU product appears to be a prepilin peptidase. These results suggest that the R64 thin pilus belongs to the type IV family, specifically group IVB, of pili. The requirement of the pilR and pilU genes for R64 liquid mating was demonstrated by constructing their frameshift mutations. Comparison of three type IVB pilus biogenesis systems, the pil system of R64, the toxin-coregulated pilus (tcp) system of Vibrio cholerae, and the bundle-forming pilus (bfp) system of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli, suggests that they have evolved from a common ancestral gene system.

Citing Articles

Type IV pili of species.

Little J, Singh P, Zhao J, Dunn S, Matz H, Donnenberg M EcoSal Plus. 2024; 12(1):eesp00032023.

PMID: 38294234 PMC: 11636386. DOI: 10.1128/ecosalplus.esp-0003-2023.

Genetic basis of I-complex plasmid stability and conjugation.

Lian Z, Phan M, Hancock S, Nhu N, Paterson D, Schembri M PLoS Genet. 2023; 19(6):e1010773.

PMID: 37347771 PMC: 10286972. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010773.

Identification and characterization of opportunistic pathogen causing potato blackleg in China.

Han W, Wang J, Pirhonen M, Pan Y, Qin J, Zhang S Front Plant Sci. 2023; 14:1097741.

PMID: 36938006 PMC: 10020715. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1097741.

Recombinant PilS: Cloning, Expression and Biochemical Characterization of a Pil-Fimbriae Subunit.

Munhoz D, Silva J, Freitas N, Iwai L, Aires K, Ozaki C Microorganisms. 2022; 10(6).

PMID: 35744689 PMC: 9227774. DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10061174.

Landmark Discoveries and Recent Advances in Type IV Pilus Research.

Singh P, Little J, Donnenberg M Microbiol Mol Biol Rev. 2022; 86(3):e0007622.

PMID: 35612326 PMC: 9491203. DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00076-22.

References

Ottow J . Ecology, physiology, and genetics of fimbriae and pili. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1975; 29:79-108. DOI: 10.1146/annurev.mi.29.100175.000455. View

SANGER F, Nicklen S, Coulson A . DNA sequencing with chain-terminating inhibitors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1977; 74(12):5463-7. PMC: 431765. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.74.12.5463. View

Inukai M, Takeuchi M, Shimizu K, Arai M . Mechanism of action of globomycin. J Antibiot (Tokyo). 1978; 31(11):1203-5. DOI: 10.7164/antibiotics.31.1203. View

Sancar A, Hack A, RUPP W . Simple method for identification of plasmid-coded proteins. J Bacteriol. 1979; 137(1):692-3. PMC: 218506. DOI: 10.1128/jb.137.1.692-693.1979. View

COETZEE J, Sirgel F, Lecatsas G . Properties of a filamentous phage which adsorbs to pili coded by plasmids of the IncI complex. J Gen Microbiol. 1980; 117(2):547-51. DOI: 10.1099/00221287-117-2-547. View

COETZEE J, BRADLEY D, Hedges R . Phages I alpha and I2-2: IncI plasmid-dependent bacteriophages. J Gen Microbiol. 1982; 128(11):2797-804. DOI: 10.1099/00221287-128-11-2797. View

BRADLEY D . Derepressed plasmids of incompatibility group I1 determine two different morphological forms of pilus. Plasmid. 1983; 9(3):331-4. DOI: 10.1016/0147-619x(83)90011-2. View

Walker J, Saraste M, Runswick M, Gay N . Distantly related sequences in the alpha- and beta-subunits of ATP synthase, myosin, kinases and other ATP-requiring enzymes and a common nucleotide binding fold. EMBO J. 1982; 1(8):945-51. PMC: 553140. DOI: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1982.tb01276.x. View

BRADLEY D . Characteristics and function of thick and thin conjugative pili determined by transfer-derepressed plasmids of incompatibility groups I1, I2, I5, B, K and Z. J Gen Microbiol. 1984; 130(6):1489-502. DOI: 10.1099/00221287-130-6-1489. View

10.

Vieira J, Messing J . Improved M13 phage cloning vectors and host strains: nucleotide sequences of the M13mp18 and pUC19 vectors. Gene. 1985; 33(1):103-19. DOI: 10.1016/0378-1119(85)90120-9. View

11.

Komano T, Kubo A, Nisioka T . Shufflon: multi-inversion of four contiguous DNA segments of plasmid R64 creates seven different open reading frames. Nucleic Acids Res. 1987; 15(3):1165-72. PMC: 340515. DOI: 10.1093/nar/15.3.1165. View

12.

Lindberg F, Lund B, Johansson L, Normark S . Localization of the receptor-binding protein adhesin at the tip of the bacterial pilus. Nature. 1987; 328(6125):84-7. DOI: 10.1038/328084a0. View

13.

Vieira J, Messing J . Production of single-stranded plasmid DNA. Methods Enzymol. 1987; 153:3-11. DOI: 10.1016/0076-6879(87)53044-0. View

14.

Kubo A, KUSUKAWA A, Komano T . Nucleotide sequence of the rci gene encoding shufflon-specific DNA recombinase in the IncI1 plasmid R64: homology to the site-specific recombinases of integrase family. Mol Gen Genet. 1988; 213(1):30-5. DOI: 10.1007/BF00333394. View

15.

Komano T, Funayama N, Kim S, Nisioka T . Transfer region of IncI1 plasmid R64 and role of shufflon in R64 transfer. J Bacteriol. 1990; 172(5):2230-5. PMC: 208852. DOI: 10.1128/jb.172.5.2230-2235.1990. View

16.

DiRita V, Parsot C, Jander G, Mekalanos J . Regulatory cascade controls virulence in Vibrio cholerae. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1991; 88(12):5403-7. PMC: 51881. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.88.12.5403. View

17.

Giron J, Ho A, Schoolnik G . An inducible bundle-forming pilus of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli. Science. 1991; 254(5032):710-3. DOI: 10.1126/science.1683004. View

18.

Kuehn M, Heuser J, Normark S, Hultgren S . P pili in uropathogenic E. coli are composite fibres with distinct fibrillar adhesive tips. Nature. 1992; 356(6366):252-5. DOI: 10.1038/356252a0. View

19.

Kim S, Komano T . Nucleotide sequence of the R721 shufflon. J Bacteriol. 1992; 174(21):7053-8. PMC: 207388. DOI: 10.1128/jb.174.21.7053-7058.1992. View

20.

Strom M, Nunn D, Lory S . A single bifunctional enzyme, PilD, catalyzes cleavage and N-methylation of proteins belonging to the type IV pilin family. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1993; 90(6):2404-8. PMC: 46095. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.90.6.2404. View