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| Title | High-resolution cryo-EM analysis visualizes hydrated type I and IV pilus structures from enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli. |
|---|---|
| Journal, issue, pages | Structure, Vol. 33, Issue 6, Page 1040-11050.e3, Year 2025 |
| Publish date | Jun 5, 2025 |
Authors | Kazuki Kawahara / Hiroya Oki / Minato Iimori / Ryuki Muramoto / Tomoya Imai / Christoph Gerle / Hideki Shigematsu / Shigeaki Matsuda / Tetsuya Iida / Shota Nakamura / ![]() |
| PubMed Abstract | Pathogenic bacteria utilize a variety of pilus filaments to colonize intestinal epithelia, including those synthesized by the chaperone-usher or type IV pilus assembly pathway. Despite the importance ...Pathogenic bacteria utilize a variety of pilus filaments to colonize intestinal epithelia, including those synthesized by the chaperone-usher or type IV pilus assembly pathway. Despite the importance of these filaments as potential drug and vaccine targets, their large size and dynamic nature make high-resolution structure determination challenging. Here, we used cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and whole-genome sequencing to determine the structures of type I and IV pili expressed in enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli. Well-defined cryo-EM maps at resolutions of 2.2 and 1.8 Å for type I and IV pilus, respectively, facilitated the de novo structural modeling for these filaments, revealing side-chain structures in detail. We resolved thousands of hydrated water molecules around and within the inner core of the filaments, which stabilize the otherwise metastable quaternary subunit assembly. The high-resolution structures offer novel insights into subunit-subunit interactions, and provide important clues to understand pilus assembly, stability, and flexibility. |
External links | Structure / PubMed:40220752 |
| Methods | EM (helical sym.) |
| Resolution | 1.78 - 2.2 Å |
| Structure data | EMDB-60902, PDB-9iuf: EMDB-60903, PDB-9iug: |
| Chemicals | ![]() ChemComp-HOH: |
| Source |
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Keywords | CELL ADHESION / Type IV pili / colonization factor / Type 1 pili / FimA |
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