Structural and functional insights into the assembly of type 1 pili from Escherichia coli

Type I pili are filamentous protein complexes that are anchored to the outer membrane of uropathogenic Escherichia coli and mediate bacterial adhesion to the surface of urinary epithelium cells. We review here the current status of structural and functional studies on the assembly of type I pili. (c) 2006 Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.