title: Characterisation of a type IV pilus produced by Aeromonas caviae.
abstract: A pilus produced by a clinical isolate of Aeromonas caviae (strain CA195) was purified and partially characterised. The Mr of the pilin was estimated to be 23 kDa by SDS-PAGE. Its N-terminal amino-acid sequence showed that it was closely related to 'bundle-forming' type IV pili purified from other Aeromonas spp. associated with gastro-enteritis and considered to be important intestinal colonisation factors. Bundle-forming pili, often with a polar location, were seen on the surface of strain CA195 which was highly adherent to HEp-2 cells. Removal of surface structures by mechanical means decreased adhesion (by > or = 50%) suggesting that these pili played some role in HEp-2 cell binding. This pilus type could prove an important marker for enteropathogenic A. caviae which appear to lack other putative virulence factors.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pathology, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Kirov
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sanderson
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Dickson
mesh_terms: D000333:Aeromonas / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins; D010861:Fimbriae, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000382:microbiology; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008970:Molecular Weight; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins