Type IV Pili and Twitching Motility
Top Cited Papers
- 1 October 2002
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Annual Reviews in Annual Review of Microbiology
- Vol. 56 (1), 289-314
- https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.micro.56.012302.160938
Abstract
▪ Abstract Twitching motility is a flagella-independent form of bacterial translocation over moist surfaces. It occurs by the extension, tethering, and then retraction of polar type IV pili, which operate in a manner similar to a grappling hook. Twitching motility is equivalent to social gliding motility in Myxococcus xanthus and is important in host colonization by a wide range of plant and animal pathogens, as well as in the formation of biofilms and fruiting bodies. The biogenesis and function of type IV pili is controlled by a large number of genes, almost 40 of which have been identified in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A number of genes required for pili assembly are homologous to genes involved in type II protein secretion and competence for DNA uptake, suggesting that these systems share a common architecture. Twitching motility is also controlled by a range of signal transduction systems, including two-component sensor-regulators and a complex chemosensory system.Keywords
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