Abstract:Type 4 pili (T4P) are important virulence factors, which belong to a superfamily of nanomachines ubiquitous in prokaryotes, called type 4 filaments (T4F). T4F are defined as helical polymers of type 4 pilins. Recent advances in cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) led to structures of several T4F. This revealed that the long N-terminal α-helix, the trademark of pilins, packs in the centre of the filaments to form a hydrophobic core, which in bacteria is accompanied by the melting (unfolding) of a portion of α1. … Show more
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