Journal
EMBO REPORTS
Volume 6, Issue 1, Pages 52-56Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1038/sj.embor.7400310
Keywords
folding; helical structure; optical tweezers; PapA; uropathogenic Escherichia coli
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P pili are protein filaments expressed by uropathogenic Escherichia coli that mediate binding to glycolipids on epithelial cell surfaces, which is a prerequisite for bacterial infection. When a bacterium, attached to a cell surface, is exposed to external forces, the pili, which are composed of similar to10(3) PapA protein subunits arranged in a helical conformation, can elongate by unfolding to a linear conformation. This property is considered important for the ability of a bacterium to withstand shear forces caused by urine flow. It has hitherto been assumed that this elongation is plastic, thus constituting a permanent conformational deformation. We demonstrate, using optical tweezers, that this is not the case; the unfolding of the helical structure to a linear conformation is fully reversible. It is surmised that this reversibility helps the bacteria regain close contact to the host cells after exposure to significant shear forces, which is believed to facilitate their colonization.
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