We review physically-motivated studies of bacterial near-surface motility driven by flagella and type IV pili (TfP) in the context of biofilm formation. We describe the motility mechanisms that individual bacteria deploying flagella and TfP use to move on and near surfaces, and discuss how the interactions of motility appendages with fluid and surfaces promote motility, attachment and dispersal...

Structures of the type IV pili secretin complexes from Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitidis, embedded in outer membranes were investigated by transmission electron microscopy. Single particle averaging revealed additional domains not observed previously. Secretin complexes of N. gonorrhoeae showed a double ring structure with a 14-15-fold symmetry in the central ring, and a 14-fold ...

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 se...

Several subclasses of type IV pili have been described according to the characteristics of the structural prepilin subunit. Whereas molecular mechanisms of type IVa pilus assembly have been well documented for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and involve the PilD prepilin peptidase, no type IVb pili have been described in this microorganism. One subclass of type IVb prepilins has been identified as the F...

abstract        background and objective: the formation of urinary infection by uropathogenic e.coli needs   numerous virulence factors and biofilm formation is among these factors. bacteria that form biofilms express phenotype traits that appear according to the bacteria type. cellulose is an important compound on the outside of e.coli causing bacterial cell-cell reactions and connection to no...

the bacterium oceanimonas sp. (o. sp.) gk1 is a member of the aeromonadaceae family and its genome represents several virulence genes involved in fish and human pathogenicity. in this original research study we aimed to identify and characterize the putative virulence factors and pathogenicity of this halotolerant marine bacterium using genome wide analysis. materials and methods: the genome da...

PURPOSE: Pili (fimbriae) have frequently been found to be involved in the attachment of bacteria to mucosal epithelial cells, an important initial step in the disease process. The purpose of this study was to determine if BrunhameZZa catarrhalis expresses type 4 pili. MATERIALSANDMETHODS: Piliated B. caturrhalis phenotypic characteristics of colony morphology, agar corrosion, twitching motility...

This study was designed to evaluate the role of Escherichia coli type 1 pili in adherence of the organism to porcine small intestines and the efficacy of pili as a vaccine antigen in controlling neonatal colibacillosis. Our results demonstrated that an E. coli phase cloned to express type 1 pili readily attached to the small intestines of colostrum-deprived newborn pigs. Immunofluorescent stain...

Social gliding motility of Myxococcus xanthus requires polar type IV pili. Tgl mutants lack pili and lack social motility. However, both defects can be rescued phenotypically, but not genotypically, when tgl+ donor and tgl- recipient cells make physical contact with each other. What is the cellular and molecular basis of this transfer of phenotype, which is called stimulation? Stimulation does ...

The in situ stimulation of Fe(III) oxide reduction by Geobacter bacteria leads to the concomitant precipitation of hexavalent uranium [U(VI)] from groundwater. Despite its promise for the bioremediation of uranium contaminants, the biological mechanism behind this reaction remains elusive. Because Fe(III) oxide reduction requires the expression of Geobacter's conductive pili, we evaluated their...