PCR mutagenesis and a unique enrichment scheme were used to obtain two mutants, each with a single lesion in fimH, the chromosomal gene that encodes the adhesin protein (FimH) of Escherichia coli type 1 pili. These mutants were noteworthy in part because both were altered in the normal range of cell types bound by FimH. One mutation altered an amino acid at a site previously shown to be involve...

FimH is an adhesive subunit of type 1 fimbriae expressed by different enterobacterial species. The enteric bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae is an environmental organism that is also a frequent cause of sepsis, urinary tract infection (UTI), and liver abscess. Type 1 fimbriae have been shown to be critical for the ability of K. pneumoniae to cause UTI in a murine model. We show here that the K. p...

BACKGROUND Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of main health problems caused by many microorganisms, including uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC). UPEC strains are the most frequent pathogens responsible for 85% and 50% of community and hospital acquired UTIs, respectively. UPEC strains have special virulence factors, including type 1 fimbriae, which can result in worsening of UTIs. O...

Ligand-receptor interactions that are reinforced by mechanical stress, so-called catch-bonds, play a major role in cell-cell adhesion. They critically contribute to widespread urinary tract infections by pathogenic Escherichia coli strains. These pathogens attach to host epithelia via the adhesin FimH, a two-domain protein at the tip of type I pili recognizing terminal mannoses on epithelial gl...

Type 1 fimbriae are surface organelles of Escherichia coli which mediate D-mannose-sensitive binding to different host surfaces. This binding is conferred by the minor fimbrial component FimH. Naturally occurring variants of the FimH protein have been selected in nature for their ability to recognize specific receptor targets. In particular, variants that bind strongly to terminally exposed mon...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common infections in the world. The majority of UTIs are caused by Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) strains. FimH and FliC are the most important virulence factors of UPEC. To date, any ideal vaccine against UTI has not been approved for human use and we need to test new targets to develop an ideal vaccine against U...

In this work we discover that a specific recognition of the N-terminal lectin domain of FimH adhesin by the usher FimD is essential for the biogenesis of type 1 pili in Escherichia coli. These filamentous organelles are assembled by the chaperone-usher pathway, in which binary complexes between fimbrial subunits and the periplasmic chaperone FimC are recognized by the outer membrane protein Fim...

PURPOSE We phylogenetically analyzed the Escherichia coli strains isolated from children with urinary tract infection (UTI) in 2 regions of Korea. Virulence factors (VFs) and antibiotic resistance of the strains were also determined to compare the possible differences. METHODS A total of 138 E. coli strains were collected from the 2 regions; Gyeongin (78 strains) and Gyeongnam (60 strains). T...

The FimH subunit of type 1-fimbriated Escherichia coli has been implicated as an important determinant of bacterial adherence and colonization of the urinary tract. Here, we sought to localize the functionally important domain(s) within the FimH molecule and to determine if antibodies against this domain would block adherence of type 1-fimbriated E. coli to the bladder mucosa in situ and in viv...

This study describes the presence of 10 hemolysin orthologs in the genome of the opportunistic human anaerobic pathogen Bacteroides fragilis, which is currently classified as a nonhemolytic bacterium. The hemolysins were designated HlyA through HlyI plus HlyIII. All cloned hemolysin genes were able to confer hemolytic activity to a nonhemolytic Escherichia coli strain on blood agar plates. Inte...