ArticleMolecular microbiology2016
Functional analysis of an unusual type IV pilus in the Gram-positive Streptococcus sanguinis.
Article in Molecular microbiology, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 35 papers.
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Who cites it
35 citing papers in PubMed, 62 citations in OpenAlex.
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- Functional Analysis of the Major Pilin Proteins of Type IV Pili inInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2024Article
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- Structure of a heteropolymeric type 4 pilus from a monoderm bacterium.Nature communications · 2023Article
- Glycerol metabolism supports oral commensal interactions.The ISME journal · 2023Article
- Mechanism of assembly of type 4 filaments: everything you always wanted to know (but were afraid to ask).Microbiology (Reading, England) · 2023Review
- Characterization of a glycan-binding complex of minor pilins completes the analysis ofProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2023Article
- Type IV Pili Are a Critical Virulence Factor in Clinical Isolates of Paenibacillus thiaminolyticus.mBio · 2022Article
- Prevalence of Type IV Pili-Mediated Twitching Motility in Streptococcus sanguinis Strains and Its Impact on Biofilm Formation and Host Adherence.Applied and environmental microbiology · 2022Article
- Artificial sweeteners stimulate horizontal transfer of extracellular antibiotic resistance genes through natural transformation.The ISME journal · 2022Article
- Type IV Pili of Streptococcus sanguinis Contribute to Pathogenesis in Experimental Infective Endocarditis.Microbiology spectrum · 2021Article
- Small regulatory RNAs of oral streptococci and periodontal bacteria.The Japanese dental science review · 2021Review
- PilB fromProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2021Article
- The dental plaque biofilm matrix.Periodontology 2000 · 2021Review
- The major subunit of widespread competence pili exhibits a novel and conserved type IV pilin fold.The Journal of biological chemistry · 2020Article
- Caldicellulosiruptor bescii Adheres to Polysaccharides via a Type IV Pilin-Dependent Mechanism.Applied and environmental microbiology · 2020Article
- Monoderm bacteria: the new frontier for type IV pilus biology.Molecular microbiology · 2019Review
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 5 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Type IV pili (Tfp), which have been studied extensively in a few Gram-negative species, are the paradigm of a group of widespread and functionally versatile nano-machines. Here, we performed the most detailed molecular characterisation of Tfp in a Gram-positive bacterium. We demonstrate that the naturally competent Streptococcus sanguinis produces retractable Tfp, which like their Gram-negative counterparts can generate hundreds of piconewton of tensile force and promote intense surface-associated motility. Tfp power 'train-like' directional motion parallel to the long axis of chains of cells, leading to spreading zones around bacteria grown on plates. However, S. sanguinis Tfp are not involved in DNA uptake, which is mediated by a related but distinct nano-machine, and are unusual because they are composed of two pilins in comparable amounts, rather than one as normally seen. Whole genome sequencing identified a locus encoding all the genes involved in Tfp biology in S. sanguinis. A systematic mutational analysis revealed that Tfp biogenesis in S. sanguinis relies on a more basic machinery (only 10 components) than in Gram-negative species and that a small subset of four proteins dispensable for pilus biogenesis are essential for motility. Intriguingly, one of the piliated mutants that does not exhibit spreading retains microscopic motility but moves sideways, which suggests that the corresponding protein controls motion directionality. Besides establishing S. sanguinis as a useful new model for studying Tfp biology, these findings have important implications for our understanding of these widespread filamentous nano-machines.
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