ArticleNature microbiology2019
DNA-uptake pili of Vibrio cholerae are required for chitin colonization and capable of kin recognition via sequence-specific self-interaction.
Article in Nature microbiology, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 53 papers.
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53 citing papers in PubMed, 82 citations in OpenAlex.
- Structural modeling reveals the mechanism of motor ATPase coordination during type IV pilus retraction.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- The stoichiometry of minor-to-major pilins regulates the dynamic activity of the type IVa competence pilus in Vibrio cholerae.PLoS genetics · 2026Article
- Major type IV pilin ofmBio · 2026Article
- Aggregative chimeric multicellularity in the absence of lethal kin discrimination.The ISME journal · 2026Article
- Predator-prey dynamics of Vibrio cholerae on chitin suggest an alternative mode of biofilm formation in marine snow conditions.The ISME journal · 2026Article
- Structure and activation mechanism of a Lamassu phage and plasmid defense system.Nature structural & molecular biology · 2025Article
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- ChiVariARIBA: a modular, editable workflow and database for characterising chitin gene variation inMicrobial genomics · 2025Article
- Improved DNA binding to a type IV minor pilin increases natural transformation.Nucleic acids research · 2025Article
- Tad pili with adaptable tips mediate contact-dependent killing during bacterial predation.Nature communications · 2025Article
- The molecular basis for DNA-binding by competence T4P is distinct in a representative Gram-positive and Gram-negative species.PLoS pathogens · 2025Article
- DNA binding is rate-limiting for natural transformation.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2024Article
- Oscillation of type IV pili regulated by the circadian clock in cyanobacteriumScience advances · 2024Article
- DNA modifications impact natural transformation of Acinetobacter baumannii.Nucleic acids research · 2023Article
- Escherichia coli Aggregates Mediated by Native or Synthetic Adhesins Exhibit Both Core and Adhesin-Specific Transcriptional Responses.Microbiology spectrum · 2023Article
- Fifty shades of greenbeard: robust evolution of altruism based on similarity of complex phenotypes.Proceedings. Biological sciences · 2023Article
- Biofilm formation on human immune cells is a multicellular predation strategy of Vibrio cholerae.Cell · 2023Article
- Vibrio cholerae biofilms use modular adhesins with glycan-targeting and nonspecific surface binding domains for colonization.Nature communications · 2023Article
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Abstract
How bacteria colonize surfaces and how they distinguish the individuals around them are fundamental biological questions. Type IV pili are a widespread and multipurpose class of cell surface polymers. Here we directly visualize the DNA-uptake pilus of Vibrio cholerae, which is produced specifically during growth on its natural habitat-chitinous surfaces. As predicted, these pili are highly dynamic and retract before DNA uptake during competence for natural transformation. Interestingly, DNA-uptake pili can also self-interact to mediate auto-aggregation. This capability is conserved in disease-causing pandemic strains, which typically encode the same major pilin subunit, PilA. Unexpectedly, however, we discovered that extensive strain-to-strain variability in PilA (present in environmental isolates) creates a set of highly specific interactions, enabling cells producing pili composed of different PilA subunits to distinguish between one another. We go on to show that DNA-uptake pili bind to chitinous surfaces and are required for chitin colonization under flow, and that pili capable of self-interaction connect cells on chitin within dense pili networks. Our results suggest a model whereby DNA-uptake pili function to promote inter-bacterial interactions during surface colonization. Moreover, they provide evidence that type IV pili could offer a simple and potentially widespread mechanism for bacterial kin recognition.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.