Knight, Stefan David
- Department of Molecular Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Abstract
Bacterial infections constitute a major global health problem, acutely accentuated by the rapid spread of antibiotic resistant bacterial strains. The widespread need for bacteria to attach - adhere - to target cells before they can initiate an infection may be used to advantage by targeting the bacterial adhesion tools such as pili and fimbriae for development of novel anti-bacterial vaccines and drugs. Type 1 fimbriae are widely expressed by Escherichia coli and are used by uropathogenic strains to mediate attachment to specific niches in the urinary tract. These fimbriae belong to a class of fibrillar adhesion organelles assembled through the chaperone/usher pathway, one of the terminal branches of the general secretion pathway in Gram-negative bacteria. Our understanding of the assembly, structure and function of these structures has evolved significantly over the last decade. Here, we summarize current understanding of the function and biogenesis of fibrillar adhesion organelles, and provide some examples of recent progress towards interfering with bacterial adhesion as a means to prevent infection.
Keywords
Assembly; Bacterial adhesion; Chaperone/Usher pathway; Fimbriae/Pili; Lectin
Published in
Topics in Current Chemistry
2009, volume: 288, pages: 67-107
Publisher: SPRINGER-VERLAG NEW YORK, MS INGRID CUNNINGHAM, 175 FIFTH AVE, NEW YORK, NY 10010 USA
SLU Authors
Global goals (SDG)
SDG3 Good health and well-being
UKÄ Subject classification
Other Chemistry Topics
Publication identifier
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/128_2008_13
- ISBN: 978-3-642-01304-1
Permanent link to this page (URI)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/48804