title: Genes of pyelonephritogenic E. coli required for digalactoside-specific agglutination of human cells.
abstract: Most pyelonephritic Escherichia coli strains bind to digalactoside-containing glycolipids on uroepithelial cells. Purified Pap pili (pili associated with pyelonephritis) show the same binding specificity. A non-polar mutation early in the papA pilin gene abolishes formation of Pap pili but does not affect the degree of digalactoside-specific hemagglutination. Three novel pap genes, papE , papF and papG are defined in this report. The papF and papG gene products are both required for digalactoside-specific agglutination by whole bacteria cells as well as for agglutination by pilus preparations. Pili prepared from a papE mutant have lost their binding ability although whole cells from this mutant retain it, implying an adhesin anchoring role for the papE gene product. A mutant with lesions both in the papA and the papE genes does not mediate digalactoside-specific agglutination. The implications of this finding for pilus biogenesis are discussed.
mesh_terms: D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins; D010861:Fimbriae, Bacterial / Q000502:physiology*; D038983:Galactolipids; D005796:Genes; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D006017:Glycolipids / Q000276:immunology*; D006384:Hemagglutination; D006801:Humans; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D009154:Mutation; D010957:Plasmids; D011704:Pyelonephritis / Q000382:microbiology*; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D038983:Galactolipids; D006017:Glycolipids; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes