View the Current Issue

New EMBO Members Review

  • The EMBO Journal (2008) 27, 2271 - 2280
  • doi:10.1038/emboj.2008.155

Published online: 31 July 2008

Architectures and biogenesis of non-flagellar protein appendages in Gram-negative bacteriaEMBO Open

Remi Fronzes1, Han Remaut1 and Gabriel Waksman1

  1. School of Crystallography, Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Birkbeck College/University College London, London, UK

Correspondence to:

Gabriel Waksman, Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Birkbeck College, University College London, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX, UK. Tel.: +44 0207 631 6833; Fax: +44 0207 631 6833; E-mail: g.waksman@bbk.ac.uk

Received 22 May 2008; Accepted 7 July 2008

Bacteria commonly expose non-flagellar proteinaceous appendages on their outer surfaces. These extracellular structures, called pili or fimbriae, are employed in attachment and invasion, biofilm formation, cell motility or protein and DNA transport across membranes. Over the past 15 years, the power of molecular and structural techniques has revolutionalized our understanding of the biogenesis, structure, function and mode of action of these bacterial organelles. Here, we review the five known classes of Gram-negative non-flagellar appendages from a biosynthetic and structural point of view.

  • Keywords:

    • bacterial pathogenesis,
    • fimbriae,
    • pilus,
    • secretion system

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. This license does not permit commercial exploitation or the creation of derivative works without specific permission.

Top

MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS

These links to content published by NPG are automatically generated

NEWS AND VIEWS

Modulating bacterial virulence

Nature News and Views (20 Apr 1989)

Identifying the killer in cystic fibrosis

Nature Medicine News and Views (01 Jul 1995)

The EMBO Journal is published by Nature Publishing Group on behalf of European Molecular Biology Organization