Production of pilus-like filaments in Geobacter sulfurreducens in the absence of the type IV pilin protein PilA

FEMS Microbiology Letters
Anna KlimesD R Lovley

Abstract

The pili of Geobacter sulfurreducens are of interest because of the apparent importance of the type IV pili in extracellular electron transfer. A strain of G. sulfurreducens, designated strain MA, produced many more pili than the previously studied DL-1 strain even though genome resequencing indicated that the MA and DL-1 genome sequences were identical. Filaments that looked similar to type IV pili in transmission electron micrographs were abundant even after the gene encoding PilA, the structural pilin protein, was deleted. The results of proteinase K treatment indicated that the filaments were proteinaceous. The simultaneous deletion of several genes encoding homologues of type II pseudopilins was required before the filaments were significantly depleted. The pilA-deficient MA strain attached to glass as well as the wild-type MA did, but strains in which three or four pseudopilin genes were deleted in addition to pilA had impaired attachment capabilities. These results demonstrate that there are several proteins that can yield pilin-like filaments in G. sulfurreducens and that some means other than microscopic observation is required before the composition of filaments can be unambiguously specified.

References

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Jun 27, 2001·Applied and Environmental Microbiology·M V CoppiD R Lovley
Nov 3, 2004·Advances in Microbial Physiology·Derek R LovleyKelly P Nevin
Jun 24, 2005·Nature·Gemma RegueraDerek R Lovley
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Aug 29, 2006·Applied and Environmental Microbiology·Gemma RegueraDerek R Lovley
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Oct 10, 2007·Environmental Microbiology·Melinda E ClarkMatthew W Fields
Nov 13, 2008·Current Opinion in Biotechnology·Derek R Lovley

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Citations

Dec 4, 2012·Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews : MMBR·Carmen L GiltnerLori L Burrows
Feb 1, 2012·Environmental Microbiology Reports·Pier-Luc TremblayDerek Lovley
May 23, 2012·ChemSusChem·Daniel R BondCésar I Torres
Jul 30, 2016·Colloids and Surfaces. B, Biointerfaces·Fany ReffuveillePascal Thébault
May 24, 2013·Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics : PCCP·Pablo Sebastián BonanniJuan Pablo Busalmen
Oct 15, 2019·Frontiers in Microbiology·Derek R Lovley, David J F Walker
Mar 19, 2021·Nature Communications·Yonggang YangMingdong Dong

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