title: Morphological appearances of K88ab fimbriae and optical diffraction analysis of K88 paracrystalline structures.
abstract: K88ab fimbriae are filamentous protein structures at the surface of certain enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli strains. Electron microscopy analysis of K88ab fimbriae showed that these structures have different morphological appearances dependent on the medium in which cells expressing these fimbriae or in which purified fimbriae were suspended. Thin and curled structures, thin and flexible fimbriae, a wider and rigid form of the fimbriae, and, in addition, paracrystalline structures were detected. Optical diffraction analysis of the paracrystalline structures indicated a helical conformation of K88ab fimbriae.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Microbiology, Vrije Universteit, BioCentrum Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Simons
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Mol
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: van Breemen
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Oudega
mesh_terms: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D001414:Bacitracin; D003460:Crystallization; D003461:Crystallography; D004492:Edetic Acid; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000276:immunology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins; D010861:Fimbriae, Bacterial / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008854:Microscopy, Electron / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; C026888:K88 antigen, E coli; D001414:Bacitracin; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins; D004492:Edetic Acid