Discovery of a New Neisseria gonorrhoeae Type IV Pilus Assembly Factor, TfpC
Linda I. Hu, Shaohui Yin, Egon A. Ozer, Lee Sewell, Saima Rehman, James A. Garnett, H. Steven Seifert
Abstract
Most bacterial species express one or more extracellular organelles called pili/fimbriae that are required for many properties of each bacterial cell. The Neisseria gonorrhoeae type IV pilus is a major virulence and colonization factor for the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhea. We have discovered a new protein of Neisseria gonorrhoeae called TfpC that is required to maintain type IV pili on the bacterial cell surface. There are similar proteins found in other members of the Neisseria genus and many other bacterial species important for human health.
Topics & Concepts
PilusNeisseria gonorrhoeaeNeisseriaMicrobiologyVirulence factorFimbriaGonorrheaVirulenceBacterial cell structureBiologyNeisseria meningitidisBacteriaVirologyGeneGeneticsHuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV)Bacterial Infections and VaccinesReproductive tract infections researchMachine Learning in Bioinformatics